Naruto Kira's story
by Raine8558
Summary: What happens when a spunky cat-girl with a brother-turned cat, a flirtatious wolf-girl, and a cocky thief meet the Naruto gang? Read and find out. Please review if you like it, there is a lot more to come!
1. Chapter 1

Enter Kira

**Enter Kira**

Name: Kira. Just Kira, I've thrown my last name away forever.

Age: 13

Height: A little taller than Naruto but shorter than Sasuke.

Hair: Red, not orange, razor cut at chin short bangs at front.

Eyes: Amber or gold, unless wearing colored contacts.

Family: Deceased.

Ninja Ranking: Genin.

Clothes: Large baggy hat worn on head at all times around people unknown (even when sleeping); red collar around neck with small coin-shaped tag; black skin-tight body suit that stops middle of neck, right below elbow, and right below the knee; a red jacket that stops just under the bust, with short sleeves, and two buttons fastened at the bottom; thick black fingerless gloves that end at middle of fore arm; a red skirt fastened at hip with a thin strip of fabric, slits up both sides to the hip, ends at middle of shin, worn when not in combat (when in combat a shorter skirt is used); wooden clog-sandals of fashionable style with red straps across toes and heel when not in combat, traditional shinobi shoes in black when in combat.

Weapons: Shuriken and kunai in pouches on both legs and hidden on other various parts of body; a kusari-gama or scythe-with-chain (think Kohaku from InuYasha) worn with the chain wrapped around waist and the blade tucked into it; two wave swords fastened in an 'X' across back with the handles hanging down (the straps run across chest and form an 'X' between her breasts over her jacket); also long nails and fangs can be used in emergency.

Secrets: There are many, involving almost every aspect. See "Other".

Other: Will be revealed in the story.

With Kira

The day was warm and the sun shone brightly. Kira paused from her trek to adjust the large duffel bag strap digging into her shoulder. She also had a large backpack sitting over her double wave swords. Having repositioned the strap to a less sore spot on her shoulder where she could still reach a weapon unhindered if the situation arose, she reached into the duffel to grab one of her favorite manga, leaving the bag unzipped, before moving forward once more.

After a couple of chapters, she heard a slight disturbance in the woods to the side of the path. It sounded like several people were shouting and crashing through the undergrowth. Towards her!

Quickly she grabbed a kunai and held it ready to throw if they weren't friendly. The bushes to her left shook violently before a large brown cat with a huge pink bow on its right ear leapt out and scrambled, yowling piteously, up her leg. Having gained the relative safety of her chest, it buried its face in her shoulder, trembling in fear.

Feeling sympathy for the poor creature, she began soothing it with her hand after replacing her manga in the bag. She wondered who was chasing it, still holding her kunai at the ready. But she didn't have to wonder long as the perpetrators bounded out of the undergrowth.

In front was a blonde boy in an orange jumpsuit. There were three whisker marks on each of his cheeks. Next was a girl with pink hair and a redish pink version of the traditional kunoichi-in-training outfit. Last was a raven-haired boy in a blue shirt and white shorts. Their forehead protectors proclaimed them to be of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They were Konoha genin since they didn't wear the chunin vest. They screeched to a halt staring. She raised an eyebrow before replacing the kunai.

"Hey! How'd you do that?" yelled the blonde kid.

"Do what?" Kira asked startled by his outburst.

"Catch that stupid cat. It's evil, believe it!" he yelled some more.

"Naruto!" screamed the pink-haired girl, hitting him over the head with her fist. He screamed in pain, holding the offending appendage. Kira sweatdropped as the boy with black hair just grunted and looked at his teammates fighting.

"Jeez, Sakura, that hurt!" whined the blonde.

"Well don't be so stupid!" was her reply.

"You guys don't get along well, do you?" Kira asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Sakura paused in mid-punch.

"_Hey, team, what's going on? Did you apprehend the target?_" the voice of an older male coming from the three genin's headpieces said.

"Well…No, a girl on the path to Konoha got it first," said the pink-haired girl.

"_Roger that. I'll be there-_" A puff of smoke appeared on the path next to the three Konoha ninja. "-in a second."

The smoke cleared and a spiky silver-haired jonin stood on the path. He wore the traditional ninja garb and a cloth mask over the lower half of his face. His forehead protector was slanted over his left eye. In his hand was—her eye started twitching when she read the title—a Make-out Paradise porno book.

"Hm," he muttered, staring at Kira holding the targeted cat. "Who are you?"

She sweatdropped at how laid back he was. "My name's Kira."

"Last name?"

"I don't have one."

"Orphan?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, recently." The straightforwardness of that simple statement shocked them.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault they were killed."

That really got his attention. "Where are you from?" His attention was, for the first time, completely removed from his book.

She shrugged. "I'm not from anywhere in particular, but I graduated from the Ninja Academy in the Leaf Village." She shrugged again. "Now that my parents are gone, there's no reason to stay in my house. There's not a house anymore." She looked around, particularly at their protectors. "I suppose since genin are out here, I must be close." She sighed. "Time to commit myself."

The jonin and three genin didn't know what to think about that last sentence. She made a few unidentifiable sounds with her tongue, seemingly toward her bag. They were now very confused. What was she doing?

A small, black, furry head popped out of her duffel, a Konoha headband in its mouth. A lithe feline body followed and the small cat dropped it in Kira's hand. The group's mouths dropped. Or rather, Naruto's and Sakura's mouths dropped open and the other two settled for raised eyebrows and widened eyes.

She coaxed the brown cat onto her shoulders, where it sprawled. Then she drew out a kunai slashing two holes in the front of her jacket, sliding the ends of the fabric of the headband through the slits and tied the forehead protector in place so the metal showed above her left breast with the knot on the inside of her jacket.

"Thank you, Miko," she said petting the black kitten's silky ears. He meowed and purred, batting at her hand. "Alright, up you go." She picked him up in both hands and raised him level with her hat. He padded happily onto the squashy hat and settled himself in the center.

"Wow," Naruto gasped.

"Sasuke, did you see?" squeaked Sakura, "She talked with an animal, like Kiba and his dog, except with a cat."

"Hn," he grunted.

When she got no better answer, she turned to the jonin. "Kakashi-sensei, she-"

"I know, Sakura. Both Sasuke and I were here," he explained calmly. This made her blush.

Kira chuckled lightly. "I take it you're out on a mission."

"You bet we are! We're supposed to catch that stupid cat." He pointed to the one draped over her shoulders, which promptly bit his finger. Naruto howled in pain swinging his finger around vigorously to get the cat off. Kira eventually rescued him and put the cat back on her shoulders.

"It's no wonder you were having so much trouble," she said rummaging in her duffel. "Cats don't like being sneaked up on or treated less than human." She found what she was looking for and pulled out a box of cat treats. "The best way to catch a cat is to befriend him." She dug out two treats and gave one to each of the felines on her person. Both immediately began purring and gobbled down the fish shaped morsels.

"Wow. I didn't know any of that stuff," Sakura looked excited. "Can I pet your cat? What was his name? Miko?"

"Yeah, that's right. As for petting him, it's up to him. How about it? Going to let the nice girl pet you?" she said, directing the last two questions to the kitten on her head. Miko appeared to think about it before purring again. "And, that's a yes."

Sakura gratefully reached up and stroked his soft fur.

"Wow, he's so soft."

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get that cat back to its owner," Kakashi said in his lazy manner.  
"Oh, right, sorry. Uh, here." She tried to pick up the brown feline but he dug his claws into her jacket, hissing when the others tried to help. "Sorry, but he doesn't want to let go."

"I guess you'll just have to go with us," Kakashi suggested.

"That's fine. I need to see the Hokage anyway."

"You know the Hokage?" Naruto asked, incredulous.

"We've met a couple of times." She started walking down the path and the others fell in step beside or behind her.

"Wow, that's amazing. I never would have thought someone our age would know the Hokage."

"I said we'd met a couple of times. That doesn't mean that we're best friends."

"Oh."

The talking dissolved into silence for a few paces during which time, the others observed their new friend. Her gait was smooth, unhurried, and utterly effortless despite the bulk of the load she carried. She almost appeared to float over the ground in long graceful strides. It was obvious she was a skilled ninja by the wide array of weapons strapped about her muscled body, and she held herself like a warrior.

They might have taken the time to discover more but the blonde suddenly exclaimed, "Wait a minute. We never introduced ourselves."

"Oh, you're right. I'm Haruno Sakura," said the girl.

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage," the blonde said and posed dramatically. Kira smiled in recognition of his name and looked to the other boy but the look he gave her said he wasn't going to say anything.

"Kakashi Hatake. And that's Uchiha Sasuke," the jonin said from his book.

"Does Uchiha Sasuke know how to talk?" Kira asked sarcastically.

He glared.

"Well?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Hn."

For some reason, that set her off. She was usually a laid back person who didn't get angry often. Something about him just got under her skin though.

"Oh, that's intelligent." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "I'm so impressed. No _wonder_ you're so famous. Phft, yeah right."

"Hey! Stop making fun of me." He was scowling at her now.

"Finally, he speaks."

"Are you looking for a fight?" His fists were clenched.

"Why? Are you advertising?" Kira's eyes were smoldering with anger and Sasuke was just as angry. The two were standing rigid, noses an inch apart, their stances aggressive. The picture was amplified slightly by the raised hair and growling of the cats on Kira's person.

"Now, now. Play nice you two," Kakashi scolded them.

Both huffed and turned away from each other with arms crossed before moving forward again. The cats immediately calmed down once the threat of a fight was minimized.

"Er…Kira, didn't you say you graduated from the Konoha Academy?" Sakura changed the subject.

"Yes, I did."  
"O-okay. But, how's that possible? I didn't see you in any of the classes this year."

"That's because I took the test two years before. I didn't actually go to the Academy. My parents trained me and on one of their visits here thought it would be a good idea to let me take the exam."

"But, that means you're a really good ninja if you passed two years ahead of us without classes," Sakura stated amazed. Naruto was staring openly and even Kakashi and Sasuke were giving her a calculating glance, taking in all the weapons again.

"My parents were really good teachers," Kira shrugged. "They taught me everything I know. I've been training even before I could walk. I kind of had to," she muttered the last bit as her eyes clouded in sadness but she shrugged it off and smiled before the others could get a good look.

"Hmm, my question is: why haven't I heard about you or your parents before if they were so good?" Kakashi asked her.

"You have. You just don't know it." Kira took pity on them when she saw the looks of confusion and explained further. "My name's caused nothing but trouble, so I buried it with my parents."

The darkness in her voice unnerved them. Kakashi in particular was looking at her oddly. The stares were digging into her back. Then, to her relief and embarrassment, her stomach growled hungrily, breaking the moment.

"Er…I guess it's breakfast time. It's probably way past due, I haven't eaten anything since dinner last night."

"What? But it's gotta be five o'clock at least," exclaimed Naruto.

"Meh," she replied, shrugging. "I've got food with me so no big." Even as she spoke, she pulled out a pack of onigiri (rice balls).

"What don't you have in that bag?" Sakura joked.

"Erm…how 'bout a house?" answered Kira around a mouthful of riceball. "Want one?"

Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi each grabbed one and started eating, Kakashi hiding his face behind his book. She offered the open pack to Sasuke. He just stared at her.

"Come on, eat one. They're not poisoned and I know you're hungry."

As if to prove her statement, his stomach grumbled loudly. She smirked knowingly as he blushed lightly and reluctantly took one. She ate the last one and fished through her bag for some of the dried fish. She gave a piece to each of the cats and warned them that there had better not be any on her clothes.

"You really do treat your cats like people," Sakura noticed.

"I wasn't joking with you. The best way to catch a cat is to befriend him…or her."

The rest of the walk to Konoha was uneventful. The guards at the gate let the group through immediately, one even bowing to Kira as she passed. She bowed back embarrassed by the sign of respect.

"I guess you weren't joking about being famous."

"He probably just remembers me from my last trip here," she replied, flustered and avoiding everyone's eyes.

They shared a glance. It was painfully obvious that she was lying, but none of them mentioned it. It wasn't their place.

They were silent the rest of the way to the building where they were to return the missing cat. Kira was lost in thought, her pensive mood transmitting to the cats which began squirming in discomfort. Kira absentmindedly handed the brown cat to Naruto which promptly began shredding him with its claws. She didn't even notice Naruto's screams of pain. Nor did she notice that she was leading them to their designated building completely unaided.

Sakura dropped back and quietly asked, "Have you noticed? She's leading us around like she knows where she's going, but she said herself she's only been here a few times."

"Has she? Maybe she's been this way before. The village isn't very complicated."

"Maybe not, but still, shouldn't she at least be looking where she's going or asking to make sure this is the right way?"

Kakashi just shrugged and Sakura huffed before moving back to her previous spot next to Kira. None of the others noticed, but Kakashi glanced up from his book more often after that, watching Kira's back thoughtfully.

When they reached the building, Kira sped up. The ninja behind her were nearly running to keep up.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Naruto asked, panting while trying to hold onto the cat.

"Huh? Oh sorry," she said, slowing down to a relaxed walk.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi said from behind his book.

"No, just thinking."

"About what?"

"Oh, you know, just thinking about how I'm going to convince Hokage to let me stay." She shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. "Just wondering if I'll have to move on."

"Why wouldn't he let you stay?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

Kira sighed. "Because my presence here could be a danger to your village."

"Huh?"

She sighed again. "If he lets me stay, I'll explain it to you. Maybe."

They didn't look too happy, but had to let is go as they walked through the doors to the mission room. The Hokage and a few other ninja were sitting at a table on one end of the room. Kira recognized Iruka sitting next to the Hokage. At another table were some less high-ranking ninja with bags for exchanging money and papers for writing down missions, mission ranks, and the ninja squads completing them.

Kakashi led his team to that table and Naruto handed the cat to his ecstatic owner. Kira stood in the back while her friends took care of getting their next mission. The Hokage read off a list of babysitting, errands, and gardening before Naruto had a fit about doing unimportant things. Iruka and the Hokage in turn lectured him about the way rankings are determined, how are missions assigned, and the importance of completed mission fees to the continuation of the village.

At the end of his rather long-winded speech, he found that Naruto was talking about ramen having completely ignored everything he'd said. Kira had to hold in a laugh.

"I…I'm sorry," Kakashi apologized through his embarrassment.

"I don't want to hear it! All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture," shouted Naruto.

Kira had to try very hard to hold in her laughter. Kakashi an old fart?

"But it's not fair. There's more to me than the trouble-making screw-up the old man thinks I am!"

Having finished his tirade, Naruto turned his back to them and pouted. He looked a lot like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Kira smiled when she saw that the Hokage and Iruka were also smiling. They had a soft spot for Naruto. It was confirmed by the Hokage's next words.

"Very well."

The group looked up in shock.

"Since you put it that way I will permit you to attempt a C grade task—usually reserved for shinobi of the journeyman level—the protection of a certain individual…"

"All right!" yelled Naruto as his teammates just stared in shock. "Who is it? Some great lord? A princess?"

This time Kira did laugh.

"Whoa, take it easy, Naruto. Someone of that stature would be classified higher than a C rank. You're not going to get that kind of mission no matter how much the Hokage likes you without more experience."

She walked out of the shadows to stand next to her friends as she spoke. The Hokage and Iruka jumped slightly and then recognized her, their eyes going wide.

"N-" Iruka started.

"No!" she interrupted harshly, her amusement gone. "That name is gone forever." Her voice was softer now as she continued, "Its Kira, now. Just Kira."

She looked at the young genin and jonin near her who were staring at her. Probably because she just yelled at the Hokage and their old sensei from the academy.

"Don't let me stop you giving them their assignment."

The Hokage nodded and nodded to a ninja guarding the door to his right.

"I'll begin introductions. Let him in."

The doors opened and a large, gray-haired, spectacled old man walked in. There were scars all along his arms and he wore a dark sleeveless shirt over plaid pants. His shins were bare until the straps of his dark sandals covered his ankles. His pants were held up with bandages over his shirt in a makeshift belt and there was a rope knotted around his forehead. He slouched against the doorframe, disturbing his large backpack, and took a swig from the sake bottle clutched in his hand.

"What's going on here?" he growled. "They look like a bunch of wet-nosed brats. Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. Is this a joke? You kids aren't really ninja, are you?"

Part of his speech was slurred, as if he'd had too much to drink, but Kira found her fur bristling, so to speak, at the insult even if it wasn't directed exactly at her.

Naruto, ever the clown, looked around trying to figure out who the 'midget' was. Though seeing as everyone was taller than him, there was no other choice. When he finally figured it out, he tried to attack the old man. He was saved by Kakashi's restricting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Kira ignored the commotion as team seven and their new assignment got to know each other, and walked straight for the Hokage, stopping right in front of him. Everyone paused, even Naruto, to look from Kira to the Hokage as they stared at each other.

Suddenly, Kira's hands balled into fists and she slammed them together in front of her, bowing low at the waist. Miko scrambled onto the back of her neck before he was dumped from his perch and bowed as well.

"Ah tulendanai renisa'ana fumnikoigado, Sisaybai," she chanted respectfully in a language no one in the group behind her had ever heard before. "It is good to see you again, honorable…_Grandfather._"

Her lips twisted into a smile at the shared joke before she turned to Iruka and included him in the greeting.

"And you as well, Iruka-sensei."

Hokage chuckled around his pipe while Iruka nodded his head.

"It is quite an honor to be greeted in such a secret language. I have been expecting you ever since your messenger arrived two days ago."

"I am glad the messenger bird got through to you," she said as she straightened.

Miko moved to her left shoulder.

"We have much to discuss if what you wrote to me is true," he said as his eyes softened just a tiny bit.

"It is true. _He_ killed them. And my brother..."

She looked at her hands clenched in front of her.

"Ah, I am sorry N-"

"That name is dead! I am called: Kira."

She spoke harshly, looking into his eyes with fire burning in her own.

"Mmm," he nodded. "Then the reason you are here is to join my village though your presence may put them in great danger."

"My parents thought highly of you, higher than the other Kages. They told me should ever something happen to them, I was to come to you. That is why they made me take the exam here and not in another village."

"Still, I am not sure I should take you in. The other villages are likely to become jealous and angry should I do so."

He folded his hands in front of his face.

In a move faster than the eye could follow, Kira drew her right wave sword, flipped in around in her hand so the dull side rested on top of her forearm, and offered the hilt to the Hokage.

"If it is such a bother, kill me now and end your dilemma!"


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Settled

**Getting Settled**

"_If it is such a bother, kill me now and end your dilemma!" she shouted, her voice nearly breaking at the end of the sentence._

A number of ninja had drawn weapons and were halfway into stances to throw them or leap to the Hokage's side. His raised hand caused them to back down but not relax as he stared into the emotionless eyes of the young woman in front of him. He looked deeper. Her strange yellow eyes were anything but emotionless, he found. They were swimming with more emotions than he could name. Determination, anger, and sadness were only a few that he recognized. Looking into her eyes, he felt like crying. He wondered how she wasn't crying with so much pain inside her.

'Where did the little girl I used to know go to?' he wondered.

He tore his eyes away and looked around at the ninja around them. The only ones not holding drawn weapons, ready to leap to his defense, were the young genin and the jonin she'd entered with. Naruto was standing with his mouth open and eyes wide, clearly speechless for once, shocked out of his tirade about his new mission. The other genin were equally surprised, even the young Uchiha. Kakashi showed his shock the same as ever: widened eye and raised eyebrow. Their charge was nearly as shocked as Naruto.

He turned back to Kira and placed his hand on the hilt of her sword. The entire room seemed to hold its breath before he pushed it down to her side.

"I will not kill you. It would be a bigger waste than the death of your clan was," he said calmly.

She nodded and returned her blade to its sheathe in a single smooth motion.

"Now then, since you will be a part of this village you will need a place to stay. I will contact some of the jonin and see if one of them is interested in letting you live with them."

"Actually, if it's not too much trouble, I would prefer to have a home to myself."

"Hmm," he said, thoughtfully. "Yes, in your case privacy is a necessity at this point. We can always change your arrangements."

She nodded in agreement.

"I know of a small house that has recently been abandoned on the outskirts of town. You can live there."

She nodded again.

"And also, we will need to assign you to a team. I will call a meeting tonight of the jonin. We will determine your new sensei then."

"Thank you." She bowed again.

"I will send someone tomorrow to inform you of the decision." He turned to the others. "You will set out in the morning." He looked pointedly at Kakashi. "I will need all of the jonin at this meeting."

Kira lowered her eyes. She knew why every jonin, not just those with teams needed to be there. She shook her thoughts away and bowed again to the Hokage prepared to back away, but a hand on the top of her head stopped her.

"Do not be ashamed, Kitten."

She smiled reluctantly at the nickname.

"You are a part of this village and we will not abandon you if you do not abandon us."

Tears came to her eyes and she had to blink rapidly to dispel them. She straightened and looked at him, the gratitude evident on her face.

"Now go, and rest. I imagine you've had little enough in the past few weeks. Iruka will show you to your new home."

Iruka stood and bowed to the Hokage as well before stepping from behind the table and leading the way past Naruto and company. Kira's eyes locked with Sasuke's for an instant before she turned away and followed Iruka out.

The sun was still bright in the sky, just beginning to lean obviously towards the western horizon. The Hokage could call the meeting now and let Kakashi's team leave today. But he wouldn't. The meeting could last the entire night if the jonin got into their arguments enough. Many of them would oppose even having her in the village, let alone on a team. Once they realized that the Hokage would not change his mind, the ones in charge of a squad would fight strongly for her to be put on his or her team. There would also be fights over whether she should be allowed to participate at all since it would give one team an advantage over the others. Because of that, Kakashi's mission would have to be delayed until tomorrow morning.

Kira sighed. It was so easy to predict what they would say but so hard to predict what the ending verdict would be.

"Rough day…Kira?" her old examiner asked kindly, stumbling slightly over the name.

"A very looong day, Iruka." She looked up at him a smiled slightly.

He chuckled. "I suppose it would be after having a debate with the Hokage."

"You call that a debate? Ha! I had him wrapped around my finger," she joked holding up her index finger. She sobered quickly, though. "Really, I'm worried about the jonin meeting."

"Ah, you're afraid of what they might decide."

She nodded and then blurted out, "But what if they decide to not put me on a team? What if none of them want me? I won't be able to stay here then. I don't want to leave!"

"Hey, hey," he said putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it gently. "Don't worry so much. Things will work out."

She didn't look like she was going to cry anymore but worry still marred her pretty face so he continued, "Besides the Hokage and I won't let anything happen to you. I think even Kakashi might fight to keep you here."

She sniffed and smiled. "Thanks. Even if you don't mean it."

"Hey, I do to mean it! I—Oh, you trickster," he said seeing her sly grin. "You knew I meant it."

"Of course. You're easy to read. That's why I love you so much."

"You always were a tricky one. Just like Naruto," he said while rubbing the back of his head.

"You really care about him don't you?" she asked.

"Like a little brother." He smiled, thinking. "But don't tell him that. Kage knows how he'll take it."

"I think he'd love you more for it. He doesn't have enough affection in his life. Everyone seems to hate him. Truthfully I think that he'd welcome having a big brother."

He looked over at her but couldn't catch her eye as she was looking straight ahead.

"Your intuition hasn't been wrong before, maybe I should try it."

She looked up at him now. "No, it hasn't. Though I've wished it had been on more than one occasion. And, yes, you should try it. I think he'd like having a home with another person in it."

"Maybe we should make you Hokage V."

"And have all those people looking at me all the time? Ugh, no way." She stuck her tongue out.

Iruka laughed. "You know, I'm thinking about taking Naruto out for ramen tonight, would you like to come?"

"Why not? I'd give me a chance to catch up with you and get to know Naruto a little better."

"Of course, we wouldn't want our kitten to be out of the loop," he joked.

"Oh, you meanie. I'm going to make you black and blue," she mock-threatened.

"Oh no, someone save me from the evil kitty-cat. She's going to scratch me!" He pretended to be terrified and started running in the direction of her new house.

"You bet I am. You're gonna look like ramen noodles when I'm done with you," she called, giving chase with Miko.

They ran, laughing and jesting, through the town, dodging people, wagons, and shops, until Iruka stopped suddenly and Kira tackled him, having been in mid leap when he stopped.

"Oof, I guess you caught me," he said from his position face-down in the grass.

"Course I did. Why'd you stop?" she asked from her perch on his back.

"Because…" he tried to pry her off and failed. "We're here."

"Wow," she gasped.

The house was an old fashioned Japanese home with wooden floors and sliding doors. Vines with large white flowers were climbing up the wooden posts at the corners and the little path to the front steps was lined with multicolored blossoms. There were two cherry trees in the yard and they were still in bloom despite the late season. Underneath them was a large pond filled with koi and a sculpted bench where Miko made himself comfortable.

"It's beautiful." She looked around in awe. "Who lived here?"

"I'm not sure. The Hokage knows more about it than I do, but it seems he had good taste."

"I'll say."

"Could you get off me?"  
"What's the matter? Too heavy for you?" she teased.

"You're not, but your stuff is," he grunted, rolling over and making her scream playfully as she tipped sideways onto the ground.

Iruka stood up and looked back at Kira. He started laughing uncontrollably, nearly falling over when he saw her. She was on her back on top of her bags. The straps were tangled around her arms and legs so she couldn't get up. She was rocking back and forth trying to get up but was unable to.

"Stop laughing, you ninny, and help me up!"

He leaned down to give her a hand when she grabbed his hand and pulled him down. He fell on top of her and was amazed when she rolled over easily so she was sitting on him again.

"I win," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Alright, alright, you win. Now get off me you evil little trickster," he ordered.

"What's the magic word?" she asked coyly, folding her legs Indian style on his stomach.

He grunted from the added pressure. "You have a bony butt."

She shifted, and he grunted again.

"That's not the magic word."

"Ow! Please?" he begged.

"Make me," she said playfully.

"Come on," he begged. "I said 'please'."

"Yeah, but then it's no fun-ack!" she yelled as Miko jumped onto her shoulder, making her lose her balance and fall off a relieved Iruka who immediately stood up. "Cheater," she muttered, picking herself of the ground.

"Well, you should have let me up."

She stuck out her tongue in reply.

"Do you want me to stay and look through the house with you?"

"Are you nuts? I'll probably end up locked in a closet somewhere."

"Actually, that's more likely to happen to me," he laughed. "I can take a hint. Be at the stand at seven, okay? We'll wait up for you."

"Fine. And, Iruka, thanks for being such a good sport."

"What are friends for?" he shrugged.

"See ya!" she called as he took off back the way they came.

Iruka was always fun. He was more like a favorite uncle than a teacher to her. She'd met him when she was three and they had immediately gotten along. She was more at ease with him that the other kids her age because, unlike them, she didn't spend a few years with him as a teacher although he had given her the test to become a genin. She knew him as Iruka the man not Iruka the sensei, though she used his title when other people were around. She meant what she said. She did love him, but it was completely innocent, like the love for a family member.

Now that Iruka was gone, it was time to explore her new home and form a list of what she needed to live here. She walked down the path to the door and took off her shoes. Miko trotted along behind her.

"We're going to have to get you a welcome mat to wipe those paws," she said looking down at him.

"**Are you saying I'm dirty?**" he answered in cat.

"No, but we can't exactly make you wear shoes and I don't need to wash the floors every time you step on it."

"**Fair enough. I just wish I had my feet back so I could wear shoes again.**"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"**Yeah, I know you are. It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have done anything more than you did.**"

"I could have killed him before he cursed you."

"**You and I both know that you couldn't have stopped him in time.**"

"Still, I should have done something," she sighed, frustrated.

Miko rubbed against her legs soothingly while he purred. Eventually she smiled and leaned down to pet his back.

"You know, I think I'd rather have a hug."

"**Me too.**"

Kira picked him up and they explored the rooms. The house was already completely furnished: stylish and comfortable chairs, couches, and matching coffee tables in the living room; large squishy cushions, a polished table, a china set in a beautiful cabinet, and top of the line cooking appliances in the kitchen; and huge canopy beds with matching dressers and nightstands in the bedrooms. The bathroom was gigantic and covered in sparkling white tile. Half of it was taken up by a marble tub sunk into the floor with a movable shower head.

"Wow, Miko. This place is gorgeous. I wonder why the Hokage let us have it."

He just shook his head and turned to the last bedroom.

"**Hey, can we have this one?**"

"'We'? What do you mean 'we'? You don't think I'm going to let you sleep in the same bed as me, do you?" she asked following him in.

He pouted and Kira sighed, giving in.

"Why do I let you do this to me? You're supposed to do what I want. I'm the little sister."

"**Well, our situation kind of reversed that. I may be older, but you're **_**definitely**_** bigger.**"

"You're not calling me fat are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"**Don't have to.**"

"You bugger, it's horrible that you beat up on me."

"**It's not my fault you walked into it.**"

Kira lunged and caught Miko on the bed, tickling him mercilessly.

"**Okay, stop, stop. I take it back, I take it back!**" he yelled out between laughs.

"Good, now help me unpack."

"**What! No way!**" he yelled as he scampered out of the room. "**I'll go check the pantry.**"

"Stupid cat," she muttered, grinning.

Back in good spirits, she unpacked all of the stuff in her bags and repacked a smaller bag with everything she would need on a long mission. When Miko came back she wrote down a list of food items that she needed to go shopping for. That done, she looked at the clock and found that it was fifteen to seven.

"Time to go," she said, grabbing the list and her purse.

"**Yay, food!**" he called.

"You make it sound like you haven't eaten in forever."

"**Dried fish is okay, but real food tastes so much better.**"

"Alright, race you there."

"**You're on!**"

He dashed out the sliding door.

"Wait, wait, cheater, I have to lock the door."

After locking the doors, she took off down the road as fast as she could go, which was pretty fast. She saw Miko's tail vanish around a corner after just a few minutes of running. When she turned the corner she ran into something hard and fell backwards.

"Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her head. "Oh, sorry, Iruka—sensei."

She hesitated on adding his title until she realized there were people around.

"It's alright. Are you okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"Yeah, fine," she dusted herself off. "You," she said aggressively, pointing at Miko. "You cheated. I told you I had to lock up the house first, so I'm not buying you a bowl."

He yowled piteously, pawing at her leg.

"No, you whiner."

He continued to beg, winding between her legs and meowing.

"No."

He hugged her leg at the knee, staring pleadingly into her eyes.

"Fine, you baby," she muttered. "I'm too soft with you."

He purred happily chased his tail in glee.

"Wow! What's up with your cat?" Naruto asked running up in time to see him running in circles.

"Nothing. He's just happy. Dumb clown just talked me into buying him a bowl of ramen."

"Oh, that's cool—wait a minute! Did you just say he talked you into it?"

"Yeah, he's such a baby."

"**Am not!**" he yelled, but to the others it sounded like an indignant meow.

"Are too!" she argued back.

Miko stuck his tongue out and the other two noticed.

"Hey, he's sticking out his tongue."

Naruto bent down for a better look.

Miko swiped at his nose, making the boy jump back, and leapt onto one of the stools.

"Well, that's a subtle hint that it's time to eat."

They placed their orders and began eating the hot noodles while they talked of this and that. Eventually, Kira asked something that had been bugging her for a while.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei?"

"Hm?" he asked through a mouthful of ramen.

"Uchiha Sasuke. He's not the one that's the last of his clan is he? The one whose brother killed them?" she asked, looking down at her bowl.

"Yeah, he is. Why?"

"It's just…that means he's a lot like me. He probably understands part of what I'm feeling right now. The thirst for vengeance. The emptiness inside my heart. He's lived with it for so much longer than I have. I wonder…I've heard…well…will I turn out like him? Holding all my emotions inside, living only to kill the one who murdered my family."

Iruka, Naruto, and Miko just looked at her.

"But, hey, you're not like that. You're full of laughter and you're fun to be around. You're the kind of person that won't let something like that make you give up on life. I only met you today and I know that. Believe it!"

"Thanks, Naruto. That's nice of you to say." She paused to wipe her eyes. "And you're right. I can't let it ruin my life. I'm going to stay the person I am, even if I'm out for revenge."

She finished her bowl and grabbed her purse to pay when Iruka stopped her.

"I'll get it."

She couldn't read the look in his eyes, but smiled and thanked him anyway. Then she said goodbye and headed out to take care of the shopping.

It was late when she finished. The moon was rising and the light of the nearly full orb guided her as she walked into the house with all the shopping bags hanging from every inch of her arms. She dumped them on the kitchen floor and proceeded to put the items in their places. When she finally finished it was midnight and she was starting to get tired but since she was practically nocturnal, she would be unable to sleep at this point. She decided to clean the house: sweeping, dusting, polishing, and mopping. The whole house took only a couple of hours and it was nearly three o'clock in the morning when she finished.

"**Are you going to sleep tonight? If you get Kakashi as your sensei, you're going to be really tired on the trip to the Land of Waves,**" Miko cautioned.

"Yeah, I'm going to turn in now. Today was pretty tiring so I might be able to sleep this early."

That said, she put away the cleaning supplies, brushed her teeth and hair, changed into her pajamas (which consisted of loose pajama pants and a baggy T-shirt), and climbed into bed.

"**So…are you gonna wear the hat tonight?**" he asked since she was still wearing it.

"No, I guess I don't need to."

"**Good. Because you look better without it.**"

"Yeah, right. Whatever, suck up."

She took it off and settled herself into the soft pillows, falling asleep quickly while Miko snuggled next to her.


	3. Chapter 3

You've Got to be Kidding Me

**You've Got to be Kidding Me!**

With Hokage

All of the jonin available in the village were clustered in the large meeting room, talking among themselves. Most were speculating on why they were here. Others were complaining about being interrupted in the middle of their activities. Hokage III knew that many of them would not like the fact that Kira was a part of the village, not because of she, herself, but because of the problems it may create with other villages. None of them knew her personally; they had heard rumors and reports of her skills, nothing more. And that was not enough to accurately decide anything with Kira. She had far too many unique qualities.

The doors closing brought the Hokage out of his musings. It was time to start the meeting that would decide Kira's future. He stood up and all of the noise immediately ceased as all faces turned to look his way.

"I see that we are all here," he started looking at all the upturned faces. "I am sorry this meeting was called so late and without proper warning, but there is an urgent matter to discuss—one that could influence the safety of our village." He paused to let the words sink in. "A very famous, very powerful pair of ninja has been killed by a most fearsome enemy."

The room seemed to hold its breath.

"They belonged to no specific village and yet completed missions from all. You know of the two ninja I speak."

"But Lord Hokage…" a timid voice interrupted.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Those two couldn't possibly have been killed. It's impossible."

His statement was greeted with muttering and nodded heads.

"It does seem that way, but it is true they are dead. I have undeniable proof."

"What is this proof?" yelled out another voice.

"Their daughter has come to me alone with the news."

"Alone? But they never let her out of their sight," said a third voice.

"Exactly. It is because of that I know for certain they are dead."

"How do we know that she wasn't the one that killed them?" yelled the second voice.

"If you had spoken with her when she delivered the news, you too would believe her innocent."

They did not say anything to that. They were afraid for their village and shocked by the death of the two that were the majority of the jonin's idols. But they were not emotional enough to disagree with their beloved leader, not unless they had a justifiable reason to doubt his insight.

"I have accepted her into our village."

Protest immediately flared from nearly all of the ninja in front of him. They might be unwilling to disagree with his insight into her innocence but this would threaten the safety of the entire village. He raised a hand and after a time, it died down.

"To do otherwise would put our village in greater danger than accepting her does."

Most of the faces in the crowd now looked confused.

"If we were to turn her away, she would travel to another village. Either that village or another one would allow her entry. I do not doubt that they would use her against us. Even worse is if none of the villages take her in. A group of missing ninja or another of our enemies would not hesitate to accept such an asset."

"Lord Hokage, what if her alliance lies with one of the other villages already? We have let a spy into our stronghold if that is the case."

"Why can't she live like her parents did?"

He raised his hand again to quiet the room. "Her parents lived separate from all the villages in order to remain fair to all. They completed missions and traveled to all of them in order to stop any fighting from breaking out because of them. However, the option is not available for one such as Kira. A grown ninja, particularly two grown ninja, can survive relatively well on their own. A young ninja of genin rank, even a high genin rank, cannot hope to survive in the world outside of a group of other ninja."

Once again he paused to let the words sink in.

"The fact that she came to our village first speaks of a sort of loyalty already. In a sense, she trusted us enough to ask for help here before others."

"Loyalties can be broken."

"Yes, they can. That is as true for you as it is for her. More importantly, she has been accepted into this village by my own hand and must be given a place in it."

"Lord Hokage," a female voice interrupted this time. "Why do you think she chose this village above the others?"

The rest of the jonin perked up noticeably to hear the answer.

"I believe she came here because she has more respect for me than she does for the other Kages."

"Why do you say that?" the same woman asked.

"Because when I first met her, she said something that I will never forget. She was three, just old enough to be taken on long journeys safely. And though she held tight to her brother's hand the entire time, she took in everything she saw and you could see that she understood the subtleties. Her eyes were unlike any I'd ever seen in a child. She stared at me for a while and then said, 'Your people love you. They follow you out of love and respect not from fear or the power of your title. It is a rare gift. There should be more like you. The world would be a better place.' Then she just walked away. I found out later that I was the first outside her family to hear her speak."

He looked at all the faces around him. They were shocked, taking in the import of what he had said. A girl of three had recognized in a few minutes what took most grown ninja years to realize.

"They say the first impression of a child is often the most correct. In this case I believe that is true."

"It may have been true then, but what about now?"

"There is one other besides myself who has met her in this room. Kakashi, would you care to express your opinions of Kira?"

Kakashi looked up from where he was leaning casually against the wall as every head in the room swiveled in his direction. He shrugged.

"It's hard to tell much about a person in such a short time. If you ask me, she's a great deal like Uchiha Sasuke. Her parents are gone and she wants revenge. She's extremely talented and her intelligence is obvious, especially if we listen to the reports. From what I've seen, I would conclude that she came with honest intensions. It is also known that her parents had a particular liking for this village over the others. It's not beyond reason that she might have come here because of that."

"Thank you, Kakashi. And that brings us to the matter of deciding which team she should belong to."

There was silence before Kakashi spoke first. The other team leaders immediately objected, stating she should go on their teams rather than his. The argument continued for many minutes before the Hokage decided he had had enough.

"Stop this ridiculous fighting. This is why her parents remained separate. I believe we will have to use a version of their solution. Kira will spend time with all of the teams, belonging equally to each until the chunin exams. At that time she will choose which team she will participate with. Are there any objections?"

The jonin were silent.

"Good. Then I suggest you prepare for the morning. Kira will accompany Kakashi's team to the Land of Waves. She will train with the next team when she comes back. I expect you can choose the order you get her without fighting. Good night."

And with that, the ninja dispersed. Many went to their homes or posts but a small group met in a room to discuss the order for receiving Kira. The Hokage sighed, glad it was over, and sat down.

"What is it Kakashi?" he asked.

Kakashi stepped out of the shadows. "Just wondering why you want her to go to the Land of Waves."

"You are sharp as ever," he chuckled. "I had a vision that she would be needed there for one purpose or another. I believe that not only will you need her, but she will need to be there. Kira herself once told me that dreams and visions are, more often than not, accurate in some sense, especially for those in important positions. Knowing how to act on them is the hard part."

"Do you think there will be trouble?"

"I do not know. All I do know is that she needs to go with you. I will trust you with the rest."

Kakashi nodded and disappeared, leaving the Hokage alone with his thoughts.

With Kira

Kira woke not long after sunrise, which was odd since she usually slept right through to noon. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. It was a losing battle. She recognized her intuition kicking in. Grumbling, she got up and took a five minute warm shower. The water relaxed her frustrated muscles and calmed her nerves. Something was going to happen today.

She wrapped a large fluffy towel around her body and walked into her room. Miko was still asleep on his pillow so she got dressed quickly in the combat version of her usual clothing, switching the long skirt for the shorter one and the clogs for the black shinobi shoes (although she didn't put them on right then since she's in her house). She left the weapons, except for the kunai and shuriken, off for now. Until she knew who her sensei was, there was no reason to wear them. Then she went into the kitchen and made pancakes, leaving her hat next to her on the counter.

"**I smell **_**pancakes**_**!**" a very excited Miko cried as he trotted into the kitchen.

"Mhmm," she said, putting two plates on the table.

A bowl and cup of milk, a jar of syrup, and a fork followed. Turning off the stove, she dumped a number of perfect pancakes onto each of the plates and put the hot pan in the sink filled with cold water. A cloud of steam hissed up and she had to lean back so she wouldn't scald herself.

"Eat up!" she said happily once she was sitting at the table.

Ten minutes later, the plates were empty and Kira was doing dishes. As soon as she finished, she heard steps on the path outside. She quickly dried her hands on a towel and grabbed her hat. By the time she was at the front door, it was firmly on her head and the person outside was nearly to the front steps.

She opened the door and smiled at the shocked face of Iruka who was just beginning to climb the stairs.

"Morning," she greeted cheerfully. "So, who's my new sensei?"

"Good morning. As for your sensei, you have quite a few."

"'Quite a few'? How can I have more than one?"

"It's a bit of a long story," he smiled ruefully.

"Oh, right, sorry. Come in. I'll get you something to eat or drink if you want," she offered, opening the door wider.

"Don't worry about it, though something to drink would be nice," he replied while slipping off his shoes.

She led him into the kitchen and got a pitcher of juice out of the fridge as he sat down at the table. She poured a glass as he said hello to Miko and set it down in front of him.

"Now, explain to me how I have more than one sensei," she urged as she sat down.

"Last night, the Hokage managed to convince all of the jonin that we're better of with you here," he began, his eyes sympathetic.

She shrugged. She already knew it would be like that if they agreed.

"Well, after that, he tried to let the ninja in charge of the teams decide which team you should belong to. Unfortunately, none of them could come to an agreement."

Kira smiled. She knew that what he really meant was that they were nearly pulling weapons on each other.

"So, he decided the only way to appease all of them was to put you in all of their teams."

"So, basically, I'm partners with every genin here."

"You could put it that way."

"Alright, so who's my first sensei?"

"Kakashi."

"Great, I get here and then I get to leave," she grumbled. "Home, sweet home. Alright, I'll get my stuff."

She got up and went to her room, strapping on all her weapons and slinging the bag she packed for missions over her shoulder. Coming back into the kitchen, she started loading preserved food items, a fold-up cooking pan, and collapsible plates and cups into the backpack. Last of all, was a bag of silverware and a few canteens filled with drinks.

"Well, that's everything. I better get going if I'm going to meet them at the gate."

"Good luck, Kira."

"Eh, what do I need good luck for? I've got skill," she grinned.

"Alright then. I'll walk with you to the gate."

Kira locked the doors and she and Iruka put on their shoes before walking down the path into the village. Because of where she lived, they would have to walk almost the whole way across the village. The Hokage monuments were pretty close and clearly visible from most of the house. The main gate was almost completely opposite the village from the monument, so they had a bit of a walk.

They used the time to talk of inconsequential things until Kira asked if he'd told Naruto about the brother thing yet. He rubbed the back of his head and said he hadn't.

"Well why not? You've got to tell him before he gets too 'grown up' for it. He'll have an easier time adjusting if you tell him while he's still young."

"I know. It's just…I don't know how to tell him, that's all."

"The best way isn't to rehearse it. Just tell him how you feel, what you want. If you speak from your heart, he'll understand. You want to be there for him and help him along. You want to be his older brother. He'll understand that you love him, even if he can't understand why. He'll accept it."

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to be Hokage V? There couldn't possibly be a better candidate."

"Isn't that what Naruto wants to be?"

"Yes, and I'm sure he would be a great Hokage. He's got the spirit and determination, but he lacks good judgment and wisdom. You've got that right now."

"You flatter me, but no. I don't like being the center of attention around so many people. Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

"You're just as stubborn as he is," he chuckled.

Her only response was to stick out her tongue. The rest of the way was spent in comfortable silence. Only when the gates came into view did Iruka break it to say goodbye. He had a class to teach in a few hours and needed to be there early. Kira waved to him as he disappeared around a corner.

"Well, I guess it's just you, me, and team seven from here on out," she told Miko.

"**Don't forget that bridge builder, Mr. Tazuna.**"

"Is that what his name was? I didn't catch it."

"**You were too busy talking to the Hokage.**"

"I guess so. And I didn't think we'd need to know then. Which team do you think we'll get when we get back?"

"**We'll find out then.**"

"I guess so. Hey, look! There're the others," she exclaimed, looking towards the gate.

As soon as she reached them, Naruto and Sakura said hello. Kakashi was too absorbed in his book at the moment to acknowledge her and Sasuke was distant as always.

"Who're you?" Mr. Tazuna asked rudely.

"My name's Kira. I'm a member of team seven as of last night."

"Last night?" he asked looking her up and down with a scowl.

"Lord Hokage decided I was to accompany you on this mission, end of story."

She turned to look at Kakashi.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go. It's a two day journey if we walk nonstop, three if we don't."

"Have you been to the Land of Waves before?" Sakura asked.

"I've been to every land at least once. This will be my second time to the Land of Waves."

With that, they set off through the gate. Naruto ran ahead, looking around excitedly. It was obvious this was his first time outside his village and Sakura, too, was looking around in interest. Sasuke took a quick glance around, but otherwise showed no emotion. Kakashi had put his book away and was actually doing his job.

As soon as they got out of the gate, trouble started. Mr. Tazuna voiced his concern that his life was in the hands of Naruto; Kakashi tried to reassure the man by reminding him that he was an elite ninja and was coming along; Naruto tried to attack Mr. Tazuna for calling him an idiot; and Kakashi had to physically restrain him.

The trip hadn't even started and Kira was already getting a headache.

Things started to flow more smoothly after that. Naruto continued to walk in the very front while the others walked in a line across the road behind him. Kira positioned herself between the two groups, planning to act as moderator if the need arose.

The road was dusty and the sun was very hot in the clear sky. A puddle rippled on the path as a leaf fell into it. Kira thought it odd. She expanded her senses without visibly tensing. She sensed Kakashi and Miko doing the same.

The fact that both of them expected an imminent attack put Kira on edge. This was a C ranked mission to a land that had no ninja of their own. There shouldn't be any attacks at all by other ninja. Something wasn't right with this situation. Kira wanted to warn the rest of the group that something was wrong, but Kakashi didn't move to do so. If her sensei didn't want to alert them, he must have a good reason. Never-the-less, only a fool didn't prepare when a battle was upon her. Casually, she shifted her wave swords into a more accessible position and silently told Miko to guard Tazuna. Her sensei noticed the casual movement and recognized what she was really doing—preparing for battle.

The group passed the puddle. As soon as the last person had passed and walked forward a few feet, two figures rose out of the water and launched themselves at Kakashi. They wrapped his entire body in bladed chains and yanked, cutting him into tiny, bloody bits. The most experienced ninja out of the way, they headed for the most vulnerable guardian—Naruto.

He was still too shocked by the attack to react. Kira jumped in front of him, wave swords drawn, and Miko stood in front of Tazuna, fur bristling and teeth showing. Sasuke also leaped into action, throwing a shuriken at the deadly chain and pinning it to a tree. Next, he threw a kunai through the hole in the middle of the shuriken, insuring that the attackers couldn't pull it free. Kira smirked at the clever ploy and her new advantage. They were stuck a sword length in front of her. She brought her swords into position and slashed them at the ninja. But, a simple twist of the gauntlets on their hands disconnected the chain and freed them in time to escape her killing swings. They sped off in different directions. One, headed for Mr. Tazuna. The other, came back around to attack Naruto from the other side.

Sakura, recognizing her duty through her shock, jumped in front of Tazuna in a defensive position as the attacker bore down on her, clawed glove extended. Sasuke, recovered from his earlier leap, also took up a protective position in front of both Tazuna and Sakura.

Kira quickly realized that she was on the wrong side to protect Naruto and things were happening too fast for him to get over his initial shock and defend himself. She wouldn't let one of her friends die. She sheathed one of her swords and grabbed the back of his shirt. She jerked him backwards and extended her other sword around to parry the deadly thrust of claws. Sword met metal-cased hand with a crash as Naruto fell to the ground and rolled out of the way. Still off balance from the tug on Naruto, the attacking ninja was able to force the blunt edge of her sword against her arm and push her to the ground. (Waves swords are held opposite of regular swords. When normal swords would point up because of the position of the hands, wave swords point down.)

She landed on her side with the man on top of her. He pushed his advantage, leaning mercilessly down against her pinned sword. Her other hand was pinned under her in such a position that she couldn't reach a weapon. She struggled and eventually managed to put both her legs against his stomach. She kicked as hard as she could and rolled backwards, sending him flying over her head.

She climbed back to her feet and saw that Kakashi had finally come into the fight from his fake death. He jumped in the way of the one attacking the other three and apprehended him with an outstretched arm wrapped around his neck. The one she had just fought was under his other arm, out cold.

The danger past, she put her weapon back in its sheath and dusted her clothes and hat off without removing it, it having miraculously not fallen off during the fighting. A quick survey showed a lot of mixed emotions from the little group. Sasuke looked angry; Sakura, glad; Tazuna, relieved; and Naruto was shocked. He looked to where Kakashi had been attacked and recognition crossed his face when he saw the cut up pieces of log—Kakashi had used the Art of Substitution in the initial attack.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I should have moved sooner—before you were injured…"

Kira looked over at Naruto sharply at that. Sure enough, there was a cut on one of his hands. She cursed herself mentally. She hadn't been fast enough.

'That explains the smell of blood,' she thought.

"It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." He turned and smiled at the two genin behind him. "Good job, Sasuke. You too, Sakura."

Sasuke looked like he couldn't care less, but Sakura was basking in the approval. Then Kakashi turned to look at Kira. She looked up in surprise.

"But the best job was Kira. She realized we were under attack even before I did."

Everyone stared at her. She shrugged, hiding her discomfort.

"It's a hot summer day and it hasn't rained for a long time. There shouldn't have been any puddles. I didn't say anything because Kakashi-sensei didn't. I figured he had a reason."

"Hey…"

Kira looked to Sasuke curiously, but he wasn't looking at her.

"You okay you big chicken?"

Naruto glared hatefully at the boy and Kira was inclined to join in. She wanted to slap the guy silly. It was very bad form to make fun of someone especially a teammate. A team was supposed to protect and support each other, not bring each other down. She started to say so but Kakashi's next statement stopped her.

"Naruto! Kira! There's no time for fighting."

He looked at Naruto pointedly.

"Their claws are poisoned. Keep as still as possible for now so the poison doesn't spread." He turned to their charge. "Mr. Tazuna, I need to speak with you." He tied the ninja up back to back and then turned back to Mr. Tazuna. "These ninja are journeyman level from the Land of Mist. They are renowned for their willingness to fight for their goal to the death. Obviously, they were watching and waiting for us. Like Kira said, there should have been no puddles on the ground."

"If you knew that, why'd you let them attack you? Either of you?" asked an incredulous Mr. Tazuna.

"I followed the lead of my sensei," Kira stated calmly.

"I could have killed them then, but I wanted to find out who their real target was."

Everyone but Kira looked confused.

"You asked for an escort to protect against thieves and brigands. There are no claims of shinobi seeking your death. He wanted to know if the target was you or one of us," she explained for Kakashi.

He looked at her approvingly. She pretended not to notice and slid her pack off her shoulders.

"In any case, this is clearly more than a C ranked mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers would be a simple thing. If you expected to be the target of a ninja assault it would have been classified as a mission for elite ninja," Kakashi said.

"We're not good enough yet for something like this. I think we should go back to the village. Besides, Naruto needs to see a doctor," Sakura said shakily.

"Things are complicated," Kakashi sighed.

Naruto, feeling frustrated and guilty, slashed a kunai deeply into his hand, allowing the blood to flow freely and wash out the poison. Sakura had a fit and yelled at him for doing something so stupid. The others just watched and Kira felt a certain kind of pride when she heard what he had to say next.

"I swear by this kunai knife that I will protect the old man. Reporting, fit for duty, master!"

"That's all well and good, but you're going to bleed to death, if we don't fix that," Kakashi said bluntly.

Naruto began freaking out, waving his hands wildly and splashing blood. Kira dodged the falling droplets and seized his hand, telling him to calm down. She held up a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some bandages she'd taken out of her bag before taking a good look at the wound. She wasn't shocked when she saw that his wound was almost completely healed already. She knew what he was and had a bit more experience on what to expect than the others. Gently, she began cleaning and wrapping his hand while talking quietly to try to cheer him up.

"Everyone freezes up a bit in their first battle. It's nothing to be ashamed of," she said pouring the alcohol over the cut.

"But you, Sasuke, and even Sakura didn't freeze up. You all did great," he mumbled sadly, after the pain had worn off.

"This wasn't my first fight. I've been in many," she confessed, unrolling some of the bandages. "And Sasuke has seen some things that make this seem like a walk in the park. As for Sakura…she relies on her mind more in this sort of situation than her emotions like you do," she explained tying the ends of the bandages. "You've had your first taste of battle; the next one will go better."

"You think so?" he asked hopefully, inspecting the bandage.

"It did for me," she said with a grin.

He grinned back.

"I…I have something to say," Mr. Tazuna said.

Everyone looked up expectantly.

"As you guessed, this job is more dangerous than you and your students have been led to believe. There's a really scary man who wants me dead," he said, looking Kakashi in the eye.

"A 'really scary man'…?" Naruto asked.

"Who is he?" Kakashi questioned.

"You've probably heard of him. He's a billionaire in shipping and transportation. His name is Gato."

"Gato!?" Kira and Kakashi exclaimed.

"As in Gato of Gato shipping and transport?"

"_The_ Gato?"

"The richest man in the world, Gato?"

He nodded sadly.

"That's the one. On the outside he looks like a legitimate businessman. The truth is he's a ruthless, murdering criminal who employs thugs and shinobi, and traffics in drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies and ends up running entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man."

He paused to look around at all the shocked faces. "Just one year ago, he set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came under the guise of a business venture; and then the violence began. In no time at all he'd taken over all of the shipping and transportation and we were under his thumb. He's got a stranglehold on all the wealth and forms of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nation. The only thing that he fears is the completion of the bridge."

"That means that you, as architect and overseer of the bridge, are a threat," Sakura reasoned.

"And that the ninja who attacked us were working for Gato," said Sasuke.

"It also means we're in over our heads," stated Kira, crossing her arms.

"Nami no Kuni (the Land of Waves) isn't a prosperous land and even our local lords are poor. I have no money at all so an elite B ranked bodyguard would be more than I could afford," he confessed. "If you turn away from me now, I'm as good as dead."

Strangely, he brightened and continued, "But oh, well! That's not your concern. You won't be there to see my daughter and ten-year-old grandson cry their hearts out every day. And of course, you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all the ninja in your village as she lives her life all alone! Heck! It's not your fault!"

Kira sweatdropped. With all that, he was definitely going to make Kakashi feel guilty enough to continue. And sure enough, the next second he said they would have to finish guarding him until he got to his own country.

'This is the worst mission ever!' she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Zabuza

**Zabuza**

Over the next few days a pattern was formed. The group always stopped during the day to eat lunch and again in the evening for dinner and sleep. Kira was the only one who didn't follow that schedule. She traveled with the others but she didn't eat or sleep with them. While they ate their meals, Kira would catnap. And when they went to sleep, she took the entire watch. On the second day of this the others finally asked her about it.

It was lunchtime and Kira settled down on the warm ground and buried her head in her arms. The others finished fishing out their lunches from their bags and sat down under the shade of one of the trees, and Miko climbed onto her back and curled up, sleeping.

"Hey, Kira?" Sakura asked after a while.

"Hm?" she answered sleepily.

"Why do you sleep when it's time to eat?"

"Well…" she started resting her chin on her crossed arms. "I'm nocturnal by nature. I usually sleep during the day. That's why I take the watches at night. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway if one of you took them." She yawned. "I eat a meal about halfway through the night-watch."

"But you only eat one meal that way," Naruto mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"And you only get a couple hours of total sleep. Doesn't it keep you from performing at 100?" asked Sakura.

"Well, yes, if I keep it up for more than a week. But I'm not too worried about it. I traveled like this all the time when I was a kid and I've gotten used to performing with little sleep. As for food, I only eat one or two meals a day anyway." She shrugged and yawned again. "Can I go to sleep now?"

"One more thing, how is it that you aren't exhausted. After one day of no rest the body rapidly deteriorates and a few hours of sporadic sleep shouldn't be enough to sustain you."

Kira looked at the girl sleepily. "When I catnap like this, it's more like meditation than actual sleep. I can get more recovery in less time. Unfortunately, it isn't as good as normal sleep. After a week of sleeping this way, the body requires the regular sleep cycle. Since we've only got about one to two more days of this, I'll be fine. If you have any more questions, please save them for the road." With that, she closed her eyes and went immediately to sleep.

"I've never heard of meditation being used for sleep before," Sakura mused.

"It's a technique rarely used. It was developed to provide rest for warriors during breaks in wars. Battle could begin in very short amounts of time so they needed a way to recover quickly from exhaustion," Sasuke explained. "Unfortunately, it can only be used about a week before it becomes too dangerous. It forces the body to create large quantities of adrenaline and store it for later use while allowing the muscles to rest and repair themselves for a short time. After a while, that storage can begin destroying parts of the body and the brain becomes too exhausted to control crucial systems. The organs fail and the body dies, or the person never wakes up."

"That's terrible!" Sakura gasped. "Kira needs to stop doing that. She's putting herself in danger."

"Only if she continues for more than a week is it dangerous," Kakashi said from behind his book since he was still eating. "The body is damaged by everyday things and is repaired by resting. This form of meditation allows her to repair damage and keep herself alert at all times without forcing us to do without sleep. A single night—or day in Kira's case—of regular sleep and she will be back to normal. No harm done."

"So, she's doing this so she's always able to protect Mr. Tazuna?" Sakura asked, clarifying.

"Except when we are eating. Then she hands both her own and Mr. Tazuna's life to us," he said, nodding.

"She doesn't trust us much, does she?" she asked sadly.

"She only met you two days ago. Trust takes time. Or the right situation," he added as if it was an afterthought.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He means a situation that forces people to trust each other," Sasuke interrupted.

"What kind of situation forces people to trust each other?" asked Naruto, lost.

"You're both hopeless," Sasuke huffed and went back to eating, turning away from them.

His eyes fell on Kira and he found himself intrigued by how different her face looked when she was asleep. Her normal face was full of determination and her eyes were nearly impossible to read. But now, it was gentle, peaceful, and also very beautiful he noticed with a start. He turned his head sharply away, but couldn't stop himself from looking again out of the corner of his eye. It was like an entirely different person was lying on her stomach next to him.

They moved on when lunch was over. Looking at Kira they would have bet money that she had sleep a few hours if they didn't know that she had only slept about twenty minutes. Kira took the watch that night, as always, and the next day greeted them humid and foggy. Mr. Tazuna said that was a sign that they were close to the ocean and that the fog should dissipate by noon.

The first half of his words proved true when they reached the coast and looked out over the blue waves to the horizon. He explained that the island he lived on was farther out than could be seen from the shore and proceeded to lead them to a friend of his that had agreed to take them across.

The first half of the boat ride across was for the most part uneventful. Kira was confused when the man cut the engine and began punting them along before she realized the reason why. It wasn't noon yet and the fog made a good cover. Without the noise from the motor, they'd be practically invisible to any searching eyes.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute," said the boat owner quietly.

Just then, a dark shape began looming through the fog. When they were close enough to see clearly, Kira couldn't help but gasp in wonder. It was drowned out by Naruto's exclamation though.

"WOW! It's HUUUUUUGGE!"

It reverberated loudly in the fog.

"Shut it, dunce!" hissed Sasuke as Sakura, the closest one to him, covered his mouth with her hand.

Her sudden movement caused the boat to rock violently. Kira squeaked slightly and latched herself tightly to the edge of the boat, her nails digging into the wood. Everyone glanced at her before turning back to Naruto and explaining why quiet was so important. Eventually, he got the message and Sakura removed her hand, wiping it on her skirt as she did.

They passed through a tunnel and into a grove of mangroves. The fog was lifting and the sun shown prettily through the water droplets, creating a rainbow effect across the entire sky not just in an arc. It was beautiful. Kira stared, captivated, as the boat continued to be steered to shore. The boat stopped at a dock and everyone climbed out, Kira slightly faster than everyone else.

"This is as far as I go. Good luck."

"Thank you for taking such a risk, I shouldn't have asked it," Tazuna said, looking back.

The boater nodded before turning on his engine and driving away. They watched him go for a minute, then turned and continued on their way. Their formation was closer this time and everyone was tense. All of them realized that there would be another attack, even Naruto.

By this time, all of the fog had dispersed and the sun shone brightly on the green foliage around them. Even though they were in danger, Kira smiled. The land was beautiful and the air smelled salty and clean. It was enough to raise her spirits. But not so much that she forgot the situation. She let her senses roam. She could feel the people walking around her and their moods: various levels of nervousness, determination, and fear. Naruto seemed to be particularly determined. He was glancing around sharply.

"There!" he shouted suddenly, throwing a shuriken into a group of bushes.

Nothing happened after his attack and everyone realized it was a false alarm.

"I….guess it was only a mouse," he said, embarrassed.

"What mouse? There was nothing there, Moron." Sakura said, angry.

"Please….please don't mess around with your shuriken. They can be just a teensy bit dangerous." Kakashi begged.

Kira and Miko sighed as Tazuna jumped on the unfortunate genin as well. This wasn't doing anything for their stealth.

She was jerked out of her thoughts as Naruto threw another throwing star into another group of bushes that had been rustling, the sharp weapon passing a few inches in front of her.

"I told you to quit it!" screamed an irate Sakura, hitting him over the head.

Kakashi moved towards the place where the shuriken had entered while Naruto tried to defend himself from the angry kunoichi. (A kunoichi is a female ninja.) He moved the bushes aside and revealed—a rabbit.

Kira sweatdropped.

'All that for a rabbit?' she thought.

Suddenly, a shiver ran up her spine. A sense of oppression was looming over her head. She jerked her head up sharply and met the eyes of Kakashi.

'He knows as well.' she realized.

She nodded and he returned it.

This was it. The enemy was here.

"Take cover!" he warned.

"Get down!" Kira yelled.

Everyone dropped to the ground just in time as a huge sword spun through where their bodies had been a second earlier. They looked up as their attacker perched on the hilt of the sword where it had lodged itself in the trunk of a tree.

Everyone was grouped into twos now. Tazuna was on the ground from when Sasuke had pulled him out of harms way and Sakura was kneeling over Naruto, having pushed him to the ground. Kira and Kakashi were crouched next to each other nearest to the offending ninja.

They looked him over carefully while climbing back to their feet. He was very tall—a giant, and wore pinstriped pants and no shirt. His shoes were open-toed as all traditional shinobi shoes are, but the tops went all the way to the bottom of his knees, dyed in a camouflage pattern. There were matching sleeves on his arms from the top of his biceps to the webbing of his fingers. A single suspender for his pants looped around his neck in the front. He wore bandages over his face from his chin to below his eyes and over his right ear. A Kirigakure headband (A Village Hidden in the Mist headband.) was worn weirdly on the side of his head.

"Well, well. If it isn't Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi stated calmly.

"The Demon Zabuza?" Kira asked, glancing at Kakashi sideways.

"Hm?" Zabuza questioned. "A pipsqueak like you has heard of me?" He chuckled evilly. "I'm flattered really. Maybe I'll kill you first."

Kira tensed but held her ground. Next to her, Miko's fur bristled and he bared his teeth. Behind her, Kakashi held out his arm and stopped Naruto who was getting ready to charge into battle.

"This one's at a whole other level than the other two. Stay back and protect Mr. Tazuna." He ordered, placing his hand on the side of his headband that covered his eye.

Kira backed up, dragging Naruto with her so the two of them were closer to the others.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, I presume? Could you surrender the old man?" Zabuza asked dangerously.

'Sharingan?!' Sasuke and Kira thought, shocked. 'But only the Uchiha clan is supposed to have that!'

"**The mirror-wheel eye?**" Miko asked.

Kira nodded.

Kira and Sasuke glanced at each other questioningly before looking back at Kakashi.

He looked back at them and, seeing that they hadn't moved, said, "Get in formation! Protect Mr. Tazuna and stay out of the fight."

They jumped before forming a four-point formation around the old man. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura pulled out kunai and held them defensively in front of them. Kira hesitated before unwrapping the kusari-gama from around her waist, holding the chain in her left hand and the handle of the blade in her right. The others grouped around her looked at it curiously, having never seen a weapon like it before.

"Stay focused," she said quietly. "This battle will be dangerous even with Kakashi-sensei to help."

They others gulped at her ominous words and prepared themselves as best they could.

"And now, Zabuza," Kakashi said, pulling his headband up to reveal his other eye—which had a scar running over it. "Shall we?"

He opened his eye, and everyone but Zabuza gasped. Instead of another onyx eye, it was red with three curved tear-drop shaped markings around the pupil.

"To face the Sharingan so early in our encounter is truly an honor," Zabuza stated, in a creepy tone.

"What is it?" Naruto questioned suddenly. "What's this Sharingan eye you keep talking about?"

Everyone looked at him. Kira knew, but since there was an Uchiha in the group, it was better to let him explain. She didn't need them to know how much she knew yet anyway. They might start relying on her a lot more. That, in turn, could lead to her getting attached, which wasn't an option.

"Those who've mastered the Sharingan have mastered an eye technique that allows them to penetrate, recognize reality through an illusion or spell, and reflect those powers back on the one who cast them. But, there's more…" Sasuke said, staring intensely at Kakashi.

"Indeed." Zabuza interrupted. "The most formidable part of this ninjutsu is its ability to understand and duplicate any technique it sees whether ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu." He chuckled evilly again. "There was a rather impressive write-up of you in my bingo book. 'The man who's copied over one thousand techniques: Kakashi, the Mirror Ninja'."

Everyone looked shocked at their sensei's fame. Kira recovered after a moment and smirked.

'I thought I recognized his name,' she thought.

"**It seems we have a more powerful ally than we first believed.**" Miko stated, smirking in his own, cat-like way.

"Now I'm getting excited," she said suddenly, trembling with excitement as she looked at Kakashi and Zabuza.

Everyone turned to look at her in shock.

"This is going to be a good fight."

Her eyes were burning with golden inner flames that made them shimmer and glow. No one quite knew what to make of that statement until Zabuza began chuckling and then flat-out laughing.

"I'm beginning to look forward to this," he stated with an evil grin once his laughing fit had subsided. "But as I'm on a very tight schedule, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut the idle chit-chat short."

He crouched down, still perching on his sword's handle, before leaping forcefully from the tree, ripping his sword out of the trunk on the way. He stopped on the nearby surface of the ocean, small ripples pulsating from his feet. Both of his hands were in the universal sign for concentration with the right one in front of his face and the other held on a fully extended arm straight up. With him standing like that, it was easy to see how large his sword was. The handle stuck up nearly as far as his arm and the rest was so long that even though it was worn at a wider angle than usual, it still dragged on the ground, or in this case, water. The blade, itself, was as wide as the man's hips. It was a truly monstrous weapon.

A ribbon of water was steadily rising from the water at Zabuza's feet and turning into a thick cloud as he applied his chakra to it.

'Shit!' Kira swore in her mind. 'He's creating mist to hide in.'

"This could be a problem," she muttered so quietly no one heard her.

She wasn't worried about herself. She could detect enemies without the use of her eyes, and supposed that Kakashi was the same, but she doubted that the others had learned that skill yet.

It quickly became too foggy to see more than a few feet. Kira kept her eyes open even though now the only thing she was using them for was the detection of movement. All of her attention was focused on sounds and the presence of chakras. She quickly picked up the presence of the three genin, her cat, the bridge builder behind her, and Kakashi a little farther away. Zabuza's presence was no longer at the ocean. She narrowed her eyes. He would attack soon.

"Keep your guard up. I haven't mastered all the aspects of the Sharingan, yet," Kakashi warned, glancing around.

Kira felt her teammates tense. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice echoed eerily. "Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney, and heart. Which vulnerable place should I choose?"

Kakashi gave a start, but it was so small, Kira almost missed it. She blinked in surprise when he suddenly concentrated his chakra.

'What is Kakashi-sensei up to? As for Zabuza, he's trying to freak us out and it's working.' She thought worriedly.

Sasuke's breathing in particular was more rapid than it should have been. She could hear his heartbeat, and all of the others', with her advanced hearing as they slowly began to panic, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. Only Kakashi's, Miko's, and her own remained steady.

"Sasuke," Kakashi's calm voice reached their ears. "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." He turned his head slightly and closed his eyes in a smile. "I will never let my comrades die."

Instantly, they relaxed slightly, their bodies no longer so locked-up the muscles were convulsing.

"I wouldn't bet on that."

Kira leapt into action, immediately, grabbing onto the back of Mr. Tazuna's shirt and hauling him back out of harms way, as Zabuza appeared in the middle of their group. She let go of Tazuna and allowed him to fall to the ground as she made a rush to the nearest person in harms way, who happened to be Sakura. Zabuza made to sweep his sword through the group of vulnerable bodies, but Kakashi chose that moment to intervene, knocking Naruto and Sasuke out of harms way while stabbing a kunai into the Missing Ninja's stomach.

A jet of water, instead of blood, spurted out of the wound before the water doppelganger dissolved into a puddle of water and another Zabuza appeared behind the jonin. He swung his sword through the air, cutting the silver-haired man in two.

The two pieces of Kakashi fell to the ground, turning into water, as a kunai was placed to Zabuza's neck.

"Game over," Kakashi stated.

Sakura sighed in relief, cutting off the startled scream she had uttered when Kakashi had appeared to be cut in half. Kira rubbed her ear which was throbbing painfully from having someone scream so close to her noise-sensitive eardrum, careful to let no one see that her hand was further up on her head than normal.

"Awesome!" shouted a relieved Naruto, while Sasuke settled for relaxing his muscles.

Kira nearly relaxed before she realized something, and quickly threw the scythe portion of the kusari-gama, the point of which sunk into the forehead of the Zabuza Kakashi was holding. No one understood why she had done that until the body dissolved into another water doppelganger, allowing her blade to fall to the ground.

"Another?!" Kakashi gasped turning to look behind him.

He ducked to the ground on his hands and feet in a crouch as the giant sword whistled through the air in the hand of the real Zabuza. The momentum of the large sword forced it to continue on its path until he tilted the angle and drove it into the ground, slicing a furrow in the dirt. Using the entrenched sword as a pushing point, Zabuza swung his leg around in a roundhouse kick and connected solidly with Kakashi's side. He pulled his sword easily from the ground and took off after him as the jonin flew through the air to land with a splash in the ocean when Zabuza stopped to avoid the spikes Kakashi had spread during his flight.

"Foolishness," Zabuza said disdainfully, as he vanished from his spot on the shore.

He reappeared behind Kakashi as he struggled to get out of the chakra-thickened water. With a quick series of hand-seals, he created a giant globe of water, trapping Kakashi.

"You're trapped, Kakashi," he chuckled evilly. "My water prison is inescapable."

"You've trapped yourself as well. You can't move to attack anyone other than me with your arm like that," Kakashi said, looking at the arm Zabuza had halfway in the water prison to keep it together.

"I don't need to attack them myself to destroy them."

He grinned evilly and formed a seal. A water doppelganger formed in between the two groups, the eyes glaring menacingly at the genin.

"Foolish ninja wannabes," the clone said. "Until you have crossed the barriers of life and death many times and earned a slot in my bingo book, you will never be acknowledged. Wearing that hitai-ate doesn't make you a ninja." (A hitai-ate is the ninja headband.)

Kira calmly looked at him and, with a practiced tug, caught her weapon as he continued.

"We don't call your kind ninja. We call them…." He stopped talking and vanished from his place to send Naruto flying as he kicked him. "Brats," he finished.

Naruto's headband fell off and fell to the ground where the doppelganger stood on it. Kira glared and tightened her hands on her weapon. She started to take a step forward but Kakashi's voice stopped her.

"Everyone listen! Take Tazuna and go! This is a fight you can't win! He can't leave his spot if he wants to keep me trapped and he'll lose control of his doppelganger if you get far enough away! Get out of here!" his voice was pleading, cracking with desperation.

Naruto rose to a crouch before stopping to look at the bandages wrapped around his left hand. He remembered his vow and the words Kira had said to him.

"'_Everyone freezes up_ _a bit in their first battle. It's nothing to be ashamed of.'_

'_You've had your first taste of battle; the next one will go better.'"_

He clenched his fist and stood to his feet. His eyes blazed with determination as he charged the doppelganger.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna gave a start at the action but Kira smirked, glad he was beginning to come into his own. He was beginning to think like a ninja—looking beyond the norm.

He was kicked again and skidded further than before. He stood up and proudly retied the hitai-ate around his forehead, ignoring the disapproving shouting of Sakura.

Kira's smirk widened as she listened to Naruto tell Zabuza to add his name to the bingo book. She turned to look at Tazuna.

"It looks like we're finishing this battle. I suggest you stay back. Miko will take care of you. He'll be more than enough even if he doesn't seem like it."

She didn't wait for his reply and grabbed a few shuriken in her right hand. Her hand was a blur as a quick wrist flick sent them spinning towards the doppelganger. He drew his sword and started to use it to block the shuriken. As soon as they left her hand, she vanished to reappear closer to him and wrapped the chain around him, tying his sword against his chest. She pulled back on the chain to keep him from moving and sliced off his head with the scythe while he was preoccupied with the incoming shuriken. She heard everyone gasp at the ease with which she had 'killed' her opponent.

She pulled the weapon back into her hands, easily caught her shuriken, and stared at Zabuza as she watched rage take over his face. He quickly created three more doppelgangers. Her brow furrowed. Three would be very difficult by herself. The only reason the last one was so easy was because he was focused on Naruto. These would be focusing on her. She looked at her new teammates and caught their eyes. She held up two fingers and pointed to herself.

"Free Kakashi," she told them without making a sound through her moving lips.

They nodded.

"I have a plan…." she heard Naruto tell the others confidently.

She turned back to her two doppelganger opponents, prepared to keep them away from the others long enough for Naruto's plan to work. She glared at the two doppelgangers and they glared at her. The other people around them seemed to disappear and they took no notice of their actions. Suddenly, they simultaneously disappeared to reappear farther to the left of the others, giving the remaining three genin a chance to attack the real Zabuza through the one doppelganger.

One of them darted forward and she locked the outer edge of her blade with his sword as the other clone disappeared. She focused on the one in front of her while tracking the other clone's movements with her heightened hearing, ignoring the sounds of talking coming from the other group. She pushed strongly against her opponent's weapon, causing his feet to slide several inches backwards. She watched his eyes widen as she pushed him back. Then his face became determined and angry as he added more pressure to his own weapon. The cords in his neck popped with the strain, and Kira found that she was the one moving backwards this time, her feet digging furrows in the soft dirt.

She decided to use his raw strength to her advantage and flipped the blade of her scythe so the edge that had previously been against the sword was now away from it. Then, in a smooth movement, she dropped all of the pressure she was exerting on her opponent's weapon and used the short shaft of her scythe as a boosted base from which to plant both her feet on the clones face in a powerful kick as his momentum carried him to the ground. He was sent away from her headfirst and into the base of a nearby tree in a shower of splinters.

While that clone was temporarily out of commission, the other attacked her from behind and she was forced to use the Art of Substitution to switch with a log as his sword chopped through where she used to be. She reappeared a few yards behind him and quickly threw her kusari-gama at his back. To avoid it, he mimicked her earlier move by switching with a log as well. She cursed and pulled back her weapon, readying herself for another strike. However, he was nowhere to be found.

She glanced over at the others during this brief lull and found that the others were doing well. Sasuke had just thrown a Demon Wind Shuriken and a transformed Naruto at the real Zabuza. She smiled at the clever ploy; sure that Kakashi would soon be free.

At that moment, the first clone, now recovered from his crash into the tree, attacked her with a kick and a swing of his huge sword. She dodged both of his strikes with ease and threw her chain, wrapping in around his neck as the other clone appeared behind her again.

"This is getting old boys," she said cockily.

With a tug, she spun around quickly and swung the captured doppelganger into his compatriot. They collided with a smack and went down in a tangle of limbs and swords. A pool of water suddenly spread from the pile and she felt her chain become limp. The force of her tug had snapped the doppelganger's neck and forced it to disintegrate. She smiled, glad that the battle was half over, and sighed in relief.

In that instant of relaxation, the remaining doppelganger leapt to his feet and kneed her hard in the stomach. She fell to the ground and he kicked the weapon out of her hands. She mentally scolded herself for making such a novice mistake as the doppelganger stepped firmly on her bruised stomach and brought the point of his sword to her neck. She smiled as a realization made itself clear to her: the large width of the sword hid her body from the doppelganger's sight. The clone glared confused at her smiling face.

"Why are you so happy, brat? You're about to die."

"Oh, you know that old saying about facing death with a smile? It just seems fitting don't you think?" she asked, trying to distract him as she reached into her pouch and drew a kunai as silently as possible.

"Hmph," he grunted. "It doesn't matter whether you smile or not. Either way, you're going to die."

"And _that_ is where I disagree with you," she said happily as her kunai stabbed him in the side.

His eyes bugged slightly and he looked down to see the kunai knife buried in his flesh.

"I never said I was smiling at _my_ death," she said coyly.

"Damn brat," he murmured, and dissolved.

She breathed out in relief once again and picked herself up from the ground, disgustedly wiping off the water from the clone. She looked over at the others and was pleased to see Kakashi free and fighting the real Zabuza. Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and Miko were near where they had been last time, all unharmed, but Naruto was not in her sight. She searched for him again and found him past the two elder ninja in the water, also unharmed.

Pleased, she walked to her fallen weapon and picked it up from the ground. She then walked towards the others while wrapping the chain around her waist once again. Once it was secured she ran towards the small group as Zabuza and Kakashi initiated a Water Dragon fight. She stopped in horror mid-step as a wave of water rushed towards her. She found herself unable to move as it loomed over her. With a foamy crash it washed over her in a torrent that threw her from her feet and carried her away from her unknowing companions. It eventually threw her against a tree and she clutched at it coughing and sputtering as it continued into the forested island.

For several minutes she didn't move from her position as she fought to free herself from the memories evoked by the wave. Finally convinced that she wasn't trapped in water, she relaxed enough to open her eyes and see that she was hugging the trunk of a tree a few feet from the ground. She looked behind her. Somehow the wave had woven through a group of trees without slamming her against them. Her fellow genin, her charge, her sensei, and their enemy were no longer in her sight.

She groaned in frustration. Today just wasn't her day. She bit back a sigh and started climbing down from the tree. When her feet touched the soggy ground she hissed in aggravation. Her clothes were soaked. She quickly squeezed as much of the water out of her clothes and hat as she could without removing them. She was loath to remove it here because she could never be sure if she was completely alone in a place so full of hiding spots.

Her clothes were still very damp and her skirt stuck to her legs but she realized she would just have to deal with it. With an unhappy pout, she began jogging in the direction of her teammates. They quickly came into view. They were grouped around something lying on the ground. She narrowed her eyes to see what it was and felt a shock go up her spine. The object was a person and not just any person: Kakashi.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh Shit

**Oh Shit!**

She ran in a burst of speed and arrived by his side in a second, startling the people grouped around him already. She knelt down beside him and gently turned him over. His onyx eye was unfocused causing Kira to narrow her own eyes. She looked him over quickly and found no injuries other than a cut on one of his hands.

"What happened?" she asked the others.

They looked between each other and shrugged.

"We don't know," Sakura stated sadly.

"He fought Zabuza and then that kid showed up. He killed Zabuza and carried off his body. Then he just fell over," Naruto stated angrily.

"So, a kid showed up, killed Zabuza, and carried off the body. And then Kakashi just fell over?" she asked for confirmation.

"Yup," Naruto answered.

"Hmm," she thought. "It sounds like he just used the Sharingan too much."

"HUH? THERE'S A TIME LIMIT ON THAT THING?!" Naruto yelled.

Kira cringed as he was yelling in her ear. She started to lift a hand to rub it but stopped herself just in time.

"Yes. Even an Uchiha will have limits until he completely masters every aspect of it. When he does, he will be able to use it practically limitlessly, though not entirely. For everyone else, it exerts a great strain on the body and mind and thus can only be used for short periods of time. Is that right Sasuke?"

He stared at her in shock. No one outside the Uchiha clan was supposed to know that information. He nodded.

"He'll be fine after some rest, but he'll have to take it easy for a while," she reassured the others. "Well, we should take him to your house, Mr. Tazuna. We need to finish the mission anyway even if our sensei is unable to assist us."

They nodded and readied their equipment quickly. Kira and Sakura speedily built a makeshift stretcher and placed Kakashi on it with the help of Tazuna. When Naruto and Sasuke returned, Kira grabbed their packs from them and told them to take one end of the stretcher. They looked ready to argue until they saw her glare and reluctantly picked up the stretcher between them. Kira nodded in satisfaction before handing one of the boy's packs to Sakura. She glared before noticing Kira swing the other one onto her own shoulders. Determined not to be outdone once again by the newcomer, she put on the extra bag without a complaint. Mr. Tazuna grabbed Kakashi's pack without Kira saying anything, for which she was grateful.

Preparations taken care of, they took off down the path after Tazuna. They moved swiftly and silently, stealthily jogging through the wooded trail. After no more than a few minutes, Tazuna told them that they were halfway there. They nodded back in reply, happy that they would be able to relax soon.

Kira kept her senses open for enemies and was relieved that she sensed none as the house came into sight. It was on the waterfront with a dock built into it. The whole house was practically built on top of the water. She grimaced at having to live so close to her hated element as long as she was on this mission. A cool wind blew across her face with the scent of fresh rain and she groaned aloud.

"What's wrong, Kira?" Sakura asked her, concerned.

"Nothing. It's just going to rain," she replied gloomily.

The others looked up and noticed the cloud covered sky. Without a word, they all increased their pace until they were practically running. Their feet thumped up the wooden walkway with Tazuna in the lead. He slid open the door and entered first after removing his shoes.

"I'm hoooome," he yelled joyously.

A young woman in her late twenties ran out of the kitchen and happily enfolded him in a hug with tears in her eyes. He dropped Kakashi's pack and wrapped his arms around her in turn. Kira took this opportunity to silently close the door behind them.

When the woman and Tazuna separated from their reunion, she noticed the young ninja standing behind him.

"Father, who are they?" she questioned, looked between the genin and the bridge builder. "You didn't!" she exclaimed. "How could you hire them? They're just kids and we can't possibly afford to pay them," she scolded the older man.

"Don't worry about it," Kira spoke from the back with a blank face, drawing everyone's attention to her. "He paid for an escort of 'C' rank: a relatively cheap expense. You should have no trouble."

"But…" she stuttered. "That couldn't possibly…..You don't….."

"We know exactly what's going on. We will continue with our mission regardless," she told her emotionlessly. "Now, if you don't mind, we'd like a place to put our sensei," she told the woman, gesturing to Kakashi on the stretcher.

"Oh my, what happened?" she gasped, noticing him for the first time.

"We had a run in with a powerful ninja-for-hire on the way here. He'll be fine after some rest."

She nodded and gave Tazuna a very pointed look that spoke volumes. He smiled disarmingly and shrugged. She 'hmphed' in return, passing by him without a word, and leading the four genin to a spare bedroom where they placed Kakashi in a warm futon.

"We don't have many spare rooms. I'm afraid that you will have to share."

Kira nodded and the others gave various other forms of affirmation while following her down the hallway.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Tsunami. I'm Tazuna's daughter."

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto and I'm destined to become the next Hokage!"

"Hmpf," Sasuke scoffed in disbelief. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Kira glared at him. He would introduce himself to a random woman but not to her.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she said politely.

"…..Kira," she said after a slight pause. "This is my partner, Miko," she added gesturing to the cat on her shoulders.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, but aren't you a little young to be ninja?" she asked stopping next to a door.

"Are you kidding?!" yelled Naruto.

"Of course not," Sakura said a little more maturely.

Kira and Sasuke remained silent.

"Here's one room. The boys can have this one," she said and opened the door on her right.

They nodded and entered the room with glares at each other after grabbing their bags from the girls.

"That wasn't the smartest idea," Kira sighed.

"Hm?" Sakura and Tsunami asked.

"They hate each other," she replied, emotionless once again.

"Oh, will they be alright?"

Kira shrugged. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

With one more worried look, Tsunami lead the girls further down the hallway. She stopped at a door on her left and opened it.

"This is the last spare bedroom," she explained.

"Thank you," Kira said simply, walking into the room without a pause.

She ignored the actions of Sakura and Tsunami and set her bag and weapons by the futon against the window in the plain room. Without a word, she sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. She stared out the window, lost in thought and unaware of the world around her for a short time as she watched the rain fall down. She was snapped out of it by Sakura calling her name.

"Earth to Kira! Is anybody home?"

She turned to look at her. "What's the matter?"

"I'm going to go check on Kakashi, you coming?"

"No, he won't wake up until tomorrow at the earliest," she replied, turning back to the window.

"How do you know?" she challenged.

"Because I've seen it before," Kira said indifferently.

"Oh. Where?" she asked curiously.

"Somewhere far from here," Kira replied cryptically.

"Then when?" she tried again to get some information from her.

"A long time ago," she replied somewhat sadly.

"That doesn't tell me anything!" she said in annoyance. "At least tell me who!"

"I'm going to sleep," Kira told her, ignoring the question completely, and climbed into her futon.

She was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. Sakura huffed in exasperation before walking out of the room. Miko watched her go. When she was gone, he looked at the sleeping face of his sister and remembered a time not too long ago when that person had still been alive.

With Sakura

She fumed as she walked. Eventually her anger dissipated and was replaced with curiosity. Why didn't she want to talk about her experiences? For that matter, why wouldn't she tell them her real name? How come she didn't want them to know who she was? And how did she know so much about the Sharingan: a secret held tightly by the Uchiha clan? Nothing about her added up.

"I wonder what happened to her family," she wondered aloud.

"What's that, Sakura?" a loud voice behind her said suddenly.

"Ack!" she yelled, jumping in surprise. "Oh, Naruto it's just you," she said relieved. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she screamed at him suddenly.

He ducked. "Sorry!"

She sighed. "Just don't do it again."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, just thinking about Kira. Nothing makes sense about her."

"Huh?" he asked, clueless.

She sweatdropped. "Don't you pay attention to anything?"

"'Course, but what's that got to do with Kira?" he asked with folded arms and tilted head.

"Haven't you noticed that even though we've been traveling with her for three days, we know almost nothing about her?"

Naruto just stared at her dumbly and she sighed again.

"For one thing, we don't know who she is. She calls herself Kira, but that's obviously not her real name. We know that she's a skilled ninja, but not as good as Sasuke," she added quickly with a dreamy sigh. "But we don't know what clan style or special abilities she might have."

Naruto looked like he was deep in thought, hanging onto her every word and nodding constantly.

"She obviously knows the Hokage pretty well, but she won't tell us anything about it. She also has a lot of knowledge about techniques and ninja from many different places which, again, she won't explain." She paused to take a breath before continuing. Something also happened to her family or clan because she said she was recently orphaned, but I can't get her to open up about it. Now do you understand?"

He continued to nod.

"You don't have a clue do you?" she asked with a sweatdrop.

"Of course I do!" he cried indignantly.

"Then explain," she urged him.

He immediately started stuttering, obviously having not followed a single part of her explanation.

"She's a complete mystery," she said simply, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Why didn't you say so at the beginning?" he asked.

"I did, stupid!" she yelled an irk mark appearing on her forehead.

"Oh," he said dumbly.

"Dunce," came the smooth tones of Sasuke.

"Oh, Sasuke," she gasped. "I didn't see you there."

With Sasuke

He grunted in response to Sakura's statement. He wasn't surprised in the slightest that she hadn't seen him.

"You're blocking the hallway," he said emotionlessly.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized sweetly. "Naruto! Get out of Sasuke's way!" she yelled angrily at the blonde.

He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He found the both of them irritating, especially together. Sakura was always hanging all over him and Naruto was just a pain that was always in the way.

"How long have you been waiting Sasuke?" she asked him, preventing a quick escape.

"Long enough to hear most of your rather loud conversation," he said back, slightly irritated.

"Well what do you think, Sasuke?" she asked.

"About Kira?"

She nodded.

"Leave her alone. She'll tell us when she's ready, not before."

With that, he walked away, deep in thought about a certain red and black clad kunoichi no matter what he'd said.

With Kira

Dawn light filtered through the window and Kira opened her eyes, refreshed from her long sleep. Light snoring next to her, caught her attention and she turned her head to see Sakura in the futon next to her. As she watched, Sakura muttered 'Sasuke' in her sleep and began to drool onto her pillow. Kira grimaced in disgust and got up.

"Gross," she whispered.

She noticed Miko next to her and smiled before quietly getting out of bed and wrapping the blankets around his sleeping figure.

'I will get your body back, big brother. Somehow,' she vowed silently.

Then, careful not to make a sound or let Sakura wake up and see anything she shouldn't, she changed her clothes. Now in a clean version of her fighting outfit, she opened the door and left the room, closing the door again behind her without a sound. She walked confidently down the hallway, her bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor. She listened to the deep breathing from each room and determined that she was the only one awake.

Without a second thought, she opened one of the side doors and walked onto the dock. She just stood there for a bit, letting the soft sweet-smelling breeze soothe her frayed nerves from the past few weeks. The water was beautiful she had to admit, as the dawn sun glowed on the small waves in multicolored splotches that moved in an entrancing dance. It was enough to almost cure her of her hatred of water. Almost.

She walked to the end and sat down, letting her feet dangle over the edge to dab her toes daintily in the surface. She didn't mind water this way. She was safe on dry 'land' and she controlled how much it touched her. Eventually she let her legs submerge in the calm surf to mid-shin. She rested her hands on the wooden planks beside her legs and stared, spellbound, into the sunlit depths of the ocean below her feet, allowing her thoughts to take over and sweep her away from reality.

It was much brighter when she came back from the places her thoughts had swept her. The sun had moved to midmorning position in the sky and the ocean was a clear sparkling blue. She looked up at the house to the right and behind her. The noisy voices of Naruto and Sakura reached her clearly from her far away position. She sighed, wanting more time for herself and lay back on the dock to stare at the sparse white clouds that floated lazily by on the air current. She squinted as the sun shone directly into her eyes and sat up, pulling her legs out of the ocean. Somehow, they had managed to keep from getting pruney despite their long stay in the water. She turned so she was lying on her stomach and rested the side of her face on one of her forearms. The other hand, she allowed to dangle over the end of the dock and lightly trace patterns on the relatively smooth surface of the water. She watched, fascinated, as the ripples spread from her gentle touch, the voices fading from her mind.

The loud thumping of feet on the wooden beams cast her violently from her thoughts and, had she been less disciplined, she might have jumped in surprise. Instead, she lay as if she hadn't heard and continued to trace patterns with her fingertips. Whoever was behind her panted for breath before moving closer at a slower pace.

"There you are, Kira!" the loud voice of Naruto yelled. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I've been right here since dawn," she calmly replied, not looking up from the water.

"Huh?"

She could almost see his mouth drop without turning to look. Eventually, he shook off his shock.

"Why are you out here?" he asked looking around.

"To think."

"About what?" he questioned, squatting down beside her.

"My past," she answered honestly, still staring at the ripples.

"How come?" he asked, tilting his head to the side like an animal.

"Because…." She trailed off, unwilling to talk about it.

"NARUTO!" screeched a female voice.

Naruto turned around so fast he lost his balance and fell into the water with a splash. Kira vanished from her spot in an instant to avoid the droplets of water sent her way from his fall. As soon as the water hit the dock, she returned to stand in the spot she had previously been laying. She watched as Naruto sputtered to the surface and turned to glare at Sakura. He looked about ready to yell at her until he saw the hand extended to him from Kira. He stared uncomprehendingly at her as if shocked by the simple gesture. She smiled reassuringly at him and allowed it to widen as he grinned back. He confidently took her hand and allowed her to haul him out of the water with ease, single-handedly.

"Let's go inside. You need to change clothes," she stated matter-of-factly.

He nodded and took a step towards the house. His foot slipped on a puddle of water and he fell backwards into an unsuspecting Kira. Unprepared for his sudden weight, she tried to catch herself only to fail. A wave of fear washed over her as she was dragged inexorably towards the dark surface of the ocean by gravity and the weight of the boy on top of her.

The water knocked the breath from her body as Naruto fell on top of her stomach and chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She fell down into the deeper layers of water with Naruto's water-heavy mass pushed her down. The water surrounded and pressed in on her from all sides, filling her ears, nose, and mouth, confusing and dulling her senses with its insistent pressure. Somehow, Naruto's body left its place and disappeared in the watery murk. She became lost as a cloud covered the sun and darkened the surrounding saltwater further. She twisted around desperately searching for the surface as the old panic began to set in. The memories of that long ago incident invaded and filled her mind, amplifying the terror she felt now with the fright of a five-year-old child. It paralyzed her and she found herself sinking deeper and deeper into the cold ocean her arms outstretched as if begging for help. Her eyes closed until they were nearly slits and a thin stream of bubbles floated to the surface, dancing through her yearning fingers. But she knew that this time, no one would jump in to save her until it was too late.


	6. Chapter 6

Oh, Brother…

**Oh, Brother…**

With Sasuke

Sasuke held back a yawn, angry with Naruto and Sakura for waking him up. They had disturbed his sleep for a search for Kira, worried out of their minds for some reason. He didn't understand why they couldn't leave her alone. Him as well. They always seemed to butt into everything. He had reluctantly joined in the search, halfheartedly looking into rooms for the familiar red and black figure. But they found nothing, and their calls went unanswered.

Despite himself, he began to feel slightly worried. Not because he cared in particular for her safety or what his sensei might say if she was missing, but because she was a skilled ninja, perhaps the only one on this team that was worth having besides Kakashi and himself. He could trust her to take care of herself during a mission, unlike Naruto and Sakura. He also knew that she had very good hearing. It was nearly supernatural. She had been able to hear things long before them and, even more amazing, tell them what it was with complete accuracy. She had demonstrated this ability many times on the road, telling them to get off the path and into hiding long before the people came into sight. It worried him that she could not hear them now. Or, another thought made itself known to his mind, perhaps she heard them, but didn't want to acknowledge it.

He looked towards the window in thought and saw Kira's cat sitting on the sill. Beside the window was the back door that led to the dock. Maybe she was out there. But before Sasuke could take more than a step towards the window, Naruto ran into the room right past the window. He took a casual glance through it before continuing on. Then he stopped and ran back, staring out through the glass.

"I found her!" he yelled excitedly and dashed out the door without pausing to close it again.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, angry and annoyed with the blonde.

He walked to the doorway and leaned against the open door, watching as Naruto ran towards the end of the dock. Kira was laying there, her head supported by her arm while the other hand dabbed lightly at the water. He could see most of her face and he was captivated by it: how gentle the features of her face were, and the sparkling fascination that lit her eyes with a lovely light. He pushed those thoughts away and looked on, slightly irritated with himself, as Naruto stopped a few steps away from her and bent down, his hands on his knees, to catch his breath.

He took those last few steps at a reasonable pace and yelled, "There you are, Kira! We've been looking for you everywhere!"

He couldn't hear what she spoke, but Sasuke watched as she calmly said something short and to the point to the orange-clad ninja. Whatever it was, it caused him to drop his mouth open in shock. Sasuke had to hold in a chuckle at the absurdity of his expression.

"Oh, Sasuke!" he heard Sakura gasp behind him.

He felt like gnashing his teeth together from irritation as he heard her begin her stupid ramblings about how great he was. He wished he'd had any girl other than this one on his team. She was all over him all the time and he hated it. She didn't know anything about him.

He ignored her to the best of his ability and looked out towards Naruto and Kira once again. He was crouched down next to her and she seemed strangely uncomfortable. He narrowed his eyes in thought. It wasn't from his closeness. She'd been closer to all of them at some time or another. It must be their conversation, he determined.

"Oh, that Naruto!!" Sakura fumed angrily beside him suddenly. "He's bugging her about her past. I just know it!!"

He watched her march out to give Naruto a lecture and smirked despite himself. It was always funny to see them fight unless it was concerning him. It was like watching an old married couple quarrel about something unimportant.

She yelled Naruto's name and Sasuke watched as he whirled around and fell into the water. He allowed himself a few quiet chuckles at the unluckiness of the young ninja. What happened next, however, made him ponder.

Kira offered him her hand to pull him out. They seemed to be having a conversation on a level he couldn't understand as they held each other's eyes. Naruto finally accepted her hand and Sasuke watched impressed as Kira lifted him bodily from the water with one hand and set him on the wooden boards of the dock. Sakura was as speechless as he was and he watched, interested as she spoke to him again in a voice too soft for him to hear. Naruto nodded and stepped forward but clumsily slipped on a puddle from the water running off his body. It was bad enough that he was so unskilled that he was clumsy. What was worse was the buffoon fell into Kira, taking her with him.

The one thing that truly caught his attention though was her eyes in the instant before she hit the water. It was an expression he had never seen before in the young kunoichi. Both her face and eyes were filled with undisguised terror.

He shook it off, telling himself he must have been seeing things. She would be fine. It was just a little water. She'd be fine. But he quickly began to doubt that as Naruto's head reemerged from under the surface and Kira's didn't follow. He rushed to the end of the dock to stand next to Sakura.

"Where's Kira?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"I don't know, she disappeared," the blonde admitted. "Did she not come up?"

"No," Sakura said, more worried than before.

With Kira

Her back hit something hard, gently. She thought she had imagined it in her near-unconscious state. Then it happened again. She looked behind her with effort, straining to see through the darkness. Suddenly the water was lit with sunlight as the cloud moved. It was the bottom. Her oxygen deprived brain struggled to understand the implications. When it did, she hastened to place her feet against the sandy floor. It was so hard. Her body was sluggish and slow from lack of air. She gathered herself and pushed as hard as she could, hoping she had enough strength in her legs for that one push to take her to the surface. Her life depended on it.

With Naruto

A shiver of dread went up his spine when he heard that she hadn't appeared. What if she couldn't swim? It was his fault if anything happened to her because of this. He felt guilty, and scolded himself for being so clumsy. She was the only one his age who was kind to him. She'd even helped him many times without any spite thrown his way afterwards. She seemed to genuinely care about his safety and that made her more important to him than anyone knew.

He turned around in the water, searching for any hint of the young girl. There was nothing but the surface winking innocently at him. He and Sakura shouted, calling her name in the hopes she had exited the water somewhere else, while Sasuke scanned the area with his eyes. But, the only answer was the echoes of their initial cries. Suddenly a line of bubbles rose and burst at the surface from the depths a few feet out from his position at the edge of the dock.

"Look!" Sakura shouted, pointing.

He quickly swam towards them. He stopped where the bubbles had appeared and looked around again while treading water. Suddenly, he saw a dark shape rise near where the line of bubbles had been and he moved towards it with a surge of relief.

With Kira

She rose through the water quickly at first, slowing down the closer she became to the surface. Sunlight danced on the surface, blinding her as she tilted her head back so she could see it, careful even in this predicament to keep her hat on her head. Her lungs burned and dark spots clouded her vision. A dark shape near to her caught her eye and she thought it might be a person if it wasn't a hallucination from her oxygen starved brain. Her head broke through the surface long enough for her to gulp in a huge single breath, before gravity pulled her under again.

The feeling of the water closing in around her head again caused her to panic and reach towards the surface with both hands. To her surprise, her hands fastened around a handful of cloth swathing a shoulder. A pair of hands fastened about her upper arms pulled her back to the surface and she coughed in relief, gasping for life-giving air, as her head again cleared the enclosing water. The person placed an arm around her back and swam strongly to what she could only assume was the dock as her vision went completely black from the sudden inflow of air.

She felt a pair of hands fasten around each of her upper arms and pull her onto a solid surface. Her knees hit it with solid thumps and she realized she was on the dock again. The two people let go of her arms and she collapsed heavily onto them, kneeling on all fours as her body violently expelled all of the water from her lungs with choking speed. A hand gently rubbed her back and she involuntarily flinched at first before relaxing. The sounds of disrupted water and the thumps of limbs hitting wood from behind her told her that her rescuer had just climbed out of the water.

Her coughs ceased until she was only gasping in shorter bursts. And suddenly, Miko was there, rubbing against her face, telling her: how worried he was, and that he wished he could have jumped in to save her himself, and how happy he was that she was safe, that she was lucky Naruto had pulled her up, and that she was to never let something like that happen again.

"I promise," she whispered weakly to her worried animal counterpart.

She stood up on legs not yet recovered, grabbing Miko in her arms on the way. She kept her head bowed and struggled to keep her terror at bay, failing to stop her muscles from trembling. She stared silently at the feet of Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto for a minute, noticing the pool of water under Naruto's.

"Thank you," she mumbled, before moving with enough speed to make her vanish from their sight into the house.

She ran away, she knew. That was exactly what she was doing. She ran not only because she was embarrassed at having been seen in such a weak state, but because right now, she was weak in other ways. She ran through the hallways, dripping water the whole way, and allowed the tears to fall from her contact-covered eyes. She didn't want them to see her this way. But more importantly, she didn't want to tell them anything. That was exactly what would happen if one of them tried to comfort her while she was in her current state. She wouldn't be able to help it and she feared what they might think afterwards.

With Miko

Miko watched her with sad eyes from his perch in her arms. He knew exactly why she was behaving the way she was. And if he didn't know exactly what she was feeling, he had a general idea.

No one knew it, but their parents hadn't been as great as everyone thought they were. In public, they were the perfect example of a proper shinobi. They acted superior but not conceited around those of lesser power and perfectly respectful around the ones they should. He'd watched many times as they acted friendly, courteous, and even deferential before the Kage's of the many villages they'd visited. It was so completely different to how they really were: conniving, greedy, bloodthirsty, hateful, and rude among other things. Yes, they were the perfect ninja to the world but only their children and close servants knew what they were really like. Now, Kira and he were the only ones still alive who knew the truth.

He held back a shudder. It was because of them that Kira was the way she was now. It was because of them that she was so terrified of water. They shouldn't have done it to her, any of it. Just because she was what she was didn't mean she was less than human. She was a very sweet child, in fact, one that had been forced to hide her docile nature from birth. He knew it killed her inside to pretend to be distant and cold, an unfeeling killing machine.

Yes, the death of their parents was probably the best thing that had ever happened to either of them except, of course, his current predicament. It would have been a wonderful thing if that had not occurred. And also, if he had realized how much Kira loved them despite what they did to her. She had been broken inside that night it happened and he wished he didn't feel so happy about their deaths. But he did. They deserved to die. The world was better off without them, the two of them included.

Kira placing him on the floor of her room awoke him from his somber thoughts. He watched as she tossed the soppy hat from her head and wrung out her hair, careful to avoid the strange appendages that protruded from the top of her head. The jacket fell to the ground next and her skirt quickly followed, allowing him to see another of his sister's strange additions to the human anatomy as she stood in her black bodysuit. He politely turned away as she turned her back to him and removed the soaked bodysuit from her lithe body. The sounds of her hands and the soft brushing of a towel wiping away the water from her body made his ear twitch.

It wasn't necessary for him to look away. They'd taken baths together when she was still small, but watching her undress had never seemed right. Most especially these last few years. She was growing up, her body changing from girl to woman. Somehow, watching that would seem like incest.

"I'm decent," the soft voice of his sister said.

He turned to look and saw she had on her undergarments and was digging through her bag for an outfit.

"**You call that decent?**" he asked.

"For you," she answered matter-of-factly. "Going around naked in front of you wouldn't bother me, but it would bother you, so I make sure the important parts are covered. For anyone else, I would have all of the clothes on first. With you, it doesn't matter. You're my brother. Ours is a different kind of love."

"**I wasn't suggesting that it isn't!**" he exclaimed, blushing under his fur.

"I didn't say you did. I just know that I don't need to worry about it," she explained calmly, pulling out her clothes from the bag.

"**Still,**" he stated, his fur still a little ruffled. "**It's not polite.**"

Kira chuckled quietly, slipping on a pair of baggy black pants and tying the drawstrings.

"**Don't laugh at me!**" he yelled, indignant and blushing again.

"I'm not," she replied. "It's just funny how shy you are."

"**I am not!**"

"Yes you are. You're blushing."

"**Are not!**"

"Then what is this?" she asked, poking the burning spots under the fur on his checks.

"**They're…I'm just warm from sunbathing all morning,**" he stuttered.

"Maybe you should stay out of the sun if four hours is enough to burn you through your fur," she said slyly.

"**Uh, yeah. I'll be more careful from now on,**" he replied, realizing he'd lost.

He went back to watching her in silence as she put on a tight, black, long-sleeved t-shirt that said, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and stopped right above her bellybutton. She brushed her hair and placed a large black squishy looking hat with a square rim on her head to cover the protrusions. Now fully dressed, she gathered her wet clothes, strung them on a line from her pack and hung them from the rafters in front of the window after moving her bed so it wouldn't get wet.

She turned back to him and spun around slowly.

"How do I look?" she asked.

He realized the real underlying question: 'Do I look normal?' and looked over her carefully.

"**Everything looks normal,**" he reassured her.

Someone knocked on the door and they both jumped, having not heard anyone approaching.


	7. Chapter 7

Sadness

**Sadness**

With Kira

"Y-yes?" Kira asked hesitantly.

"Are you alright?" asked the voice of Tsunami. "I heard you nearly drowned."

The older woman's voice sounded concerned to her ears.

"I'm fine," she replied, walking to the door and opening it.

Tsunami stood at the door, worriedly staring down at her. Her eyes flashed about the room, taking in the wet floor and dripping clothes, before looking her over as well.

"You seem pale. Do you want me to fetch the doctor?"

"No, no, of course not. I'm fine and I'm normally pale anyway," she insisted.

"Well, alright. If you're sure," she agreed reluctantly. "Your sensei is awake now by the way. The others are already with him."

"Thank you," she replied and slid past her out the door with Miko a step behind.

She padded silently down the hall to Kakashi's door. Tsunami followed behind her. She could feel the woman's eyes watching her, trying to decide if she truly was alright. Should she so much as stumble the woman would be on her like a hawk to sweep her into a bed and assault her with a barrage of doctors and medicines. She held back a shudder from the thought of doctors examining her, realizing that Tsunami would take it as a sign of chill from her dunking.

Then she was standing in front of Kakashi-sensei's room, Tsunami only a few steps behind her. She placed her hand on the handle and tried to catch some of the conversation going on inside.

"That's so creepy!!" came Sakura's voice through the door.

It sounded disgusted and mildly scared.

Vaguely, she wondered what they could be talking about that would cause her to react in such a way. She opened the door and took in all the startled faces turned in her direction.

Kakashi was indeed awake. Though he wasn't sitting up, his eye was open and he had clearly been talking to the rest of the people in the room. Right now, his eye was resting on her in mild surprise. She raised an eyebrow at his silent stare.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

"Clothes," she stated, folding her arms and walking further into the room to allow Tsunami entrance.

"I know that," he said, mildly irritated. "I mean why are you wearing those clothes?"

"These?" she questioned looking down at herself. "Because my normal clothes got wet in an accident. It was either these or pajamas."

That said, she walked past the other genin to sit against the wall, ignoring the slightly guilty looks on their faces at the mention of an accident. Kakashi looked around at them confused.

"Alright, what did I miss while I was asleep?" he questioned.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto squirmed in their seats and avoided looking at their sensei, embarrassed by their part in the accident. Sakura felt guilty for shocking Naruto into the water and getting Kira involved. Naruto was ashamed that he had knocked her into the water, even if it was an accident. Sasuke too battled against guilt: that he should have tried to help more.

After getting no response from three of his students, he turned his head to look at Kira. She, however, was looking out the window and refused to meet his eyes. Suddenly, he felt very tired and highly irritated.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" he asked again, emphasizing the please.

"Kira nearly drowned this morning," Tsunami said finally in a quiet voice when no one made a move to explain.

Kakashi's eye widened and he twisted to stare at Kira who continued to look out the window with an expressionless face.

"WHAT?!" Tazuna exclaimed loudly in disbelief.

How could one of his bodyguards nearly die from such a simple thing? He'd watched her take on and kill three of Zabuza's doppelgangers and yet she nearly died from a little water? Such a thing seemed impossible.

"You're joking right?" he questioned his daughter in disbelief.

She shook her head no as Kira's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

Tazuna stared openmouthed at his daughter in shock before looking at Kira.

"H-how….?" he stuttered, unsure how to take it.

"It was an accident. No one is to blame." Kira said with finality, still looking out the window.

"You _should_ blame me!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly.

Everybody whipped their heads around to look at him, even Kira. He met her eyes and held them.

"If I hadn't hit you and made you fall into the water-"

"You slipped, it was an accident. I don't blame you for it," she interrupted.

"It's my fault too!" Sakura joined in. "If I hadn't startled Naruto into falling in the first place, you wouldn't have been involved."

"You didn't know you'd scare him into losing his balance. It's not your fault either," Kira told her harshly.

"But-"

"Enough!" she cried, rising to her feet and startling them into silence. "It happened. I'm fine and nothing bad came of it. It was an accident, it's no one's fault, and I don't blame anybody. Let it go!" she shouted, fighting back tears she was unwilling to let them see.

But they saw anyway, and felt guilty again for making them appear. They were amazed at her outburst. Never before had they seen so much raw emotion from her. She had always been calm, collected, and completely in control of herself—business-like—in her performance. This display of open feeling was shocking and it amazed them that there was so much pain radiating from her. It hovered like a cloud over her head and they watched, entranced, as she sat again against the wall and brought her knees to her chest to wrap her arms around them in an unconscious display of insecurity.

"You can't swim can you, Kira?" Kakashi asked gently.

She shook her head gently, staring at her knees as Miko rubbed against her calves comfortingly. She opened her mouth and started to say something before closing it again, shaking her head once more.

"That was why you were afraid on the boat, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

She and everyone else in the room turned to look at him.

"Yes," she answered, looking away in shame. "And because of…what happened last time."

They looked at her curiously, but she refused to meet their eyes. She chose instead to stare out the widow as the memories invaded her mind once more.

"Last time?" the cautious voice of Sakura invaded her mind, chasing the memories from the front of her mind.

"What were you talking about before I came in?" she asked, changing the subject.

Sakura looked put off by her dodging but answered her question anyway, vowing silently that she would find a way to make her answer the questions eventually no matter what.

"We were talking about that masked kid that Kakashi-sensei told us was a…shinobi hunter?" she asked to make sure.

Kakashi nodded and Sakura looked pleased with herself.

Kira looked up and stared hard at her, thinking about the implications. Sakura looked unnerved by the eeriness of that stare and shifted uncomfortably.

"That's the same kid that carried of the body right?" Kira asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Kakashi said. He looked at her curiously, wondering what she had realized.

"Are you telling me you haven't spotted the problem yet, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked, looking at him now.

He narrowed his eye and thought about it. "Something is definitely strange about the circumstances, but I—" he stopped suddenly as what Kira was hinting at hit home. His eye widened and he gapped, staring unseeingly at his newest student.

The other people in the room shared confused glances before looking back at them. Sasuke thought about what Kakashi had told them about hunter-nin and then Kira's comments. Suddenly he realized what the more experienced members of his team had.

"No way!" he exclaimed, sweat beginning to run down his face.

"Yes way!" Kakashi replied, turning to look at his other students.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and Sakura looked between the three who knew in confusion. They hadn't come to any conclusion.

"What the hell nonsense are you all mumbling on about?" Tazuna asked, clearly as lost as the other two.

"That it's likely…" Kakashi began.

"Zabuza is still alive," Kira and Sasuke said in unison.

They glanced at each other while Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna freaked out and Tsunami looked confused. Since she didn't know about any of the events on the way down here, Kira wasn't surprised that she didn't understand.

Kira was surprised to find that Sasuke's eyes held a hint of fear. She didn't think that he would have been so affected by the encounter, but then it had been the first time he'd fought a ninja he couldn't easily dispatch. He probably wasn't used to fighting opponents more powerful than him. She felt a curious mix of sympathy and contempt for him at that realization. He'd obviously been pampered in his training. Having practically been tortured all her life, she couldn't compare herself to him very well. They were on two completely different levels.

She felt like him in some ways, like the loss of her family and the thirst for revenge. But at the same time, she was so different. She knew about the true strengths of the ninja in other countries. She didn't pretend to be better than everyone else. She didn't presume to judge other people based on their appearance or goofiness. She wasn't stuck up so much that she wouldn't help other people or wouldn't accept help when it was given. She thought that he was entirely too selfish and stuck up.

"I'm going to increase your training schedule!" Kakashi stated, sitting up.

That simple statement jolted her out of her critical thoughts of the Uchiha and brought her back to the real world and the danger at hand.

"What?! Training?!" Sakura exclaimed. "But Kakashi-sensei, what will a little extra training matter with what we're up against? Our opponent is a ninja so powerful that even with your Sharingan Mirror-Eye power, he almost killed you!" she raved, certain she'd misunderstood him.

"And when I was beleaguered, Sakura, think about who it was that rescued me. You three all are maturing, progressing rapidly, your powers growing exponentially. Especially yours, Naruto!!" he said with a smile.

Sakura grumpily looked at the smiling blonde while Sasuke looked on expressionlessly. Kira's eyes softened but she didn't smile, happy for the rising young ninja. She hadn't been included because he didn't know anything about her. Her power was almost completely unknown.

"But that being said, the skills I teach you now will be an interim thing only, to tide us over until I recover enough to take over," he reassured her.

"But, Sensei!" she immediately protested. "Even if Zabuza is alive, how can we just train without knowing when he may return and strike again?"

Kira sighed so quietly as to go unnoticed in the noise of Kakashi's answer at the denseness of the other kunoichi.

"An excellent question," he responded. "But once a person has been placed into a near-death trance, it is quite some time before their body returns to its previous state of health and readiness."

"So we'll train while we're waiting!!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "Could be fun!!"

During Naruto's last comment, a small boy wearing overalls and a droopy striped hat had entered the room quietly.

No one had noticed the boy's entrance except for Kira and Miko. They silently stared at each other until the boy spoke.

"You're all going to die."

Kira frowned at the boy's words and tone. It was flat, depressed, and utterly devoid of hope. She understood that tone better than anyone knew. It was a constant chore to keep those feelings away from her own heart and she wondered what this boy had seen to make him this way.

"Who the hell are you?!" Naruto screamed.

"Inari!" Tazuna cried joyfully, spreading his arms wide. "Where have you been?!"

"Welcome home, Grandpa," he said dully, climbing up the single large stair to the carpeted floor where they sat.

He and Tazuna hugged while Tsunami walked up and began scolding him.

"Inari, greet our guests properly! They're the esteemed ninja who brought your grandfather safely home!" she berated him with hands on her hips.

He ignored her and stared at Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.

"But Mama, they're all gonna die," he told her pointing.

Naruto stood up in offense and bellowed, "Listen, you little twerp—!!"

"No one can beat Gato and his men," he continued, ignoring Naruto.

"You brat!!" Naruto screamed in anger. "I'm a hero who's going to be Hokage!"

Kira saw something in Inari's face change and she stood up, causing Sasuke and Kakashi to glance at her in confusion.

"Naruto," she said warningly in her quiet voice, trying to get him to stop.

"Gato? 'Gateau'? This guy's named 'chocolate'! You can't seriously expect me to be afraid of that!" he continued on, regardless of her warning.

"'Hero'? You're dumb! There's no such thing," Inari said bitterly.

"Wh-what?!" Naruto yelled, angry.

"Quit it," Kira said, shutting his mouth with her hand under his chin.

He stared at her curiously as Inari turned to the door.

"If you don't wanna die, go home now," he warned them.

"Where are you going, Inari?" his grandfather asked.

"To watch the ocean from my room," he replied and walked out, slamming the door.

No one moved for several seconds. During that time, Kira felt the boy's pain reawaken her own and struggled against it.

"Please forgive him," Tazuna asked sadly.

Naruto growled and stomped angrily from the room after him. Kira watched him go, knowing that nothing would come of it. She could hear the boy's sobs from here. Whatever Naruto might be, he wasn't a brute. His heart was far too kind to let his anger take over in a situation such as this. She sighed and sat back down.

"Why did you stop him?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Kira asked, turning to look at her.

"Why did you stop Naruto from talking to Inari?"

Kira turned away from her to look down at her own hands. She clenched them tightly and grimaced.

"Because," she stated finally. "That boy has enough pain inside him without stirring it to the surface with harsh words."

"H-how do you know that?" Sakura asked hesitantly, sensing the other girl's slight distress.

"When you've seen some of the things I have, you learn to read people from only a few gestures. And then," she said sadly. "There are always the eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul. If you learn to read them, you won't ever have to ask how a person is feeling. You'll know with a glance."

Everyone stared at her.

"What sort of things?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Suffering," she answered and shivered as if in the path of a cold wind.

The others felt chills go down their own spines at Kira's tone of voice.

She stood suddenly and walked towards the door. "I'm going to go check my clothes. I'll need them for training tomorrow."

They watched her go, marveling at how her movements made no sound and wondering once again what she had endured.

With Sakura

"She's so strange," she muttered after Kira had left.

"Indeed," Kakashi agreed.

"You think so too, Sensei?" she asked.

"Yes," he said nodding.

"But," she began. "Don't you know more about her than we do?"

"I know only a few things that you do not, and they would not help you understand her any more than they help me."  
"Can't you tell us anyway?" she begged.

"No."

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because they are things she has asked to be kept confidential specifically. The Hokage has determined that her wishes be upheld unless it is of life or death."

She pouted.

"But that's not fair!"

"Life is not fair, Sakura. Now leave it be. If you wish to know, Kira will have to tell you. Or give me permission to tell you," he added.

She frowned unhappily, but dropped it, realizing that she would get no further and asked him about the upcoming training. But of that too, he would not say and she soon left in a huff to find something else to do.


	8. Chapter 8

The First Day of Training: Reaching New Heights

**The First Day of Training: Reaching New Heights**

With Kira

The early morning sun shone through the branches of the trees in the forest just a few yards from the bridge builder's home. Kira held back a yawn. She wasn't used to getting up early and two days in a row after all of that traveling was pushing it. Currently, she was leaning against a particularly inviting looking tree at the back of the group of genin surrounding Kakashi as he stood with the aid of a pair of crutches.

"So, it's decided. The new training regimen begins today," Kakashi said happily.

Kira bit back a groan as Naruto yelled in excitement. He was far too peppy for this early in the morning for her to deal with, tired as she was.

"But first, let's discuss the basis of your ninja powers: the body energies known as chakras," Kakashi said, holding up a finger.

Kira sighed. She'd heard this lecture many times before. She banged her head against the tree and kept it there as she stared at the dappled sunlight filtering down through the leaves above her head. Birds twittered sweetly and she found her eyes closing against her will. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

"KIRA!!"

She jolted awake and bolted up the nearest tree, which happened to be the one she was leaning against. She looked below her to see Kakashi standing right in front of the tree with wide eye. It was obviously he who had awoken her. She sighed in relief and put away the kunai she had drawn in her panic while calming her breathing and racing heart. She sighed again, and released the chakra which had been keeping her feet stuck to the bark of the tree's trunk and allowed herself to fall to the ground, spinning gracefully to land lightly on her feet in front of her sensei. She straightened her clothes and looked into his startled eye.  
She raised an eyebrow. "Did I miss something?" she asked, looking around at the genin who were equally as surprised as their sensei. "What?"

"You….just completed the training," Sakura said breathlessly.

"I wha-?" she asked, confused.

"Our training was to climb the trees using only the chakra in our feet."

"Oh," she said. "Well that explains a few things. Have you not done this before?"

"No." They shook their heads.

"Oh."

"Are you saying that you have?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah. My parents taught me this about four years ago," she said, looking him in the eye.

"'Four years ago'?!" they exclaimed.

Kira jumped in surprise. "That's what I said."

"But…but that means, you must have started training when you were very young."

"How old were you when you started training?" she asked them.

"Er, seven."

"Oh, really?" she said, shocked.

"Yeah, how about you?"

"Oh, uh, well…"

"What's the big deal? You couldn't have started training too much before us!!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kira flushed.

"Just tell us," Sasuke said, mildly irritated.

"Okay," she took a deep breath. "My parents started training me not long after I was born. I wasn't even one yet."

Everyone just stared at her for a second.

"You're joking right?"

"I wish I was," she replied sadly. "Anyway, what am I going to do about training since I already know how to do the exercise?"

"Hmm," Kakashi said, thinking.

The others looked between each other, concerned again that she was changing the subject. It seemed that every time they got close to finding out anything important about her, she would start dodging the questions.

"Why don't you review with them and maybe offer some tips since you've completed this exercise?" Kakashi suggested.

"Sounds good," she said wearily. "Carry on."

She looked at the single kunai sticking up from the ground at the feet of each of her teammates and then at the one at hers. She bent down and picked it up.

"So where were we in your lecture?" she asked Kakashi.

"Use the kunai blades to score the bark at the highest point you can climb to. It will serve as a reminder later when you try again."

He walked with the aid of his crutches to a tree to his right and walked up it. A good way up, he walked out on the underside of a large branch so he hung upside-down by the soles of his feet.

"Your goal is to make a mark on a higher spot each time you climb," he continued with his instructions now that he was at a vantage point. "I don't expect any of you to reach the top on your first try except perhaps Kira as this is a review for her."

The others looked at her quickly when he said that, but she kept her eyes locked on her sensei.

"A running start will probably give enough momentum for a good first effort. All right?" he asked from his perch.

"No sweat! I could do this one before breakfast!" Naruto called out boastfully. "I'm the fastest-developing ninja on this team!"

Kira gave a mental headshake. Just because he was progressing the fastest didn't mean that he was the best. Everyone else was silent as well.

"Less talk and more action. Choose your trees and go." Kakashi ordered.

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke closed their eyes and focused their chakra. Kira watched the different colored energies collect in different amounts around each genin's feet.—Sakura's was a pale pastel green that matched her eyes. Naruto's was a light blue, the color of the sky. And Sasuke's was a dark blue that was almost black.—As soon they were sure they had the right amount, they charged at their prospective trees.

Kira stayed back from the first charge and watched their first tries. Each one had varied levels of success. Naruto slipped and hit his head as soon as his foot touched the trunk because he'd used too little chakra. Sasuke did much better but still wasn't entirely successful. He was dislodged from the tree when a burst of chakra splintered the trunk of the tree underneath his foot about halfway to the lowest branch. His landing skills were revealed as he neatly performed a flip in midair and landed in a crouch on the ground. But it was Sakura who did the best of the genin. She sat happily on a branch high above the levels of the other two.

"This is easier than I thought!" she called with a giggle.

Kira smirked and chuckled softly. That was about how she thought about the whole exercise.

"Sakura?!" Naruto cried in shock.

"Interesting," Kakashi said. "It seems the one with the greatest chakra control is Sakura."

"Heh!" Kira laughed. "Perhaps."

"Hmm?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Kira simply smiled at him before walking towards the tree he still hung upside-down from. Everyone followed her with their eyes as she continued towards the trunk. A spiral of golden chakra wound about her entire body without the help of a hand signal. It was beautiful, contrasting with her red and black outfit wonderfully and enhancing her golden eyes.

The chakra faded from view though it still affected her body in the desired fashion. And with the eyes of her comrades still on her, she placed a foot on the trunk of the tree and proceeded to walk up the tree. But that wasn't too shocking as they had seen Kakashi do it twice (once while Kira was asleep), Sakura once, and Kira, herself, had done it just a moment ago. What was amazing was that her clothes and hair acted as though there had been no change in the direction of gravity. They fell loosely towards the tree instead of towards the ground. Even Kakashi was shocked. He'd never seen anything like that before.

She ignored the sounds of amazement and walked up the trunk and onto the branch that Kakashi was hanging from. Her clothes acted as before and fell the opposite direction of the pull of gravity, even her hat stayed on her head though it should have fallen off.

"Perhaps," she repeated with laughter in her eyes.

Everyone was staring at her in awe. She closed her eyes in a smile and stuck out her tongue, mock-saluting with two fingers as she dropped her chakra and began falling to the ground. She turned in mid-fall and landed soundlessly on the leafy floor. She grinned happily, reveling in their admiration.

"Well then, now that I've satisfied the desire to show off while in this rare mood let me point out a few things."

The shocked stares didn't go away but she continued on regardless.

"Sakura."

She looked down with a gulp at the smiling kunoichi.

"You did perfect. Just like Kakashi-sensei said."

Sakura beamed, glad of the praise and that it was from Kira whom she viewed as a distant and mysterious rival.

"Incredible! You go, Sakura! That's my girl!!" Naruto screamed out as Sasuke grunted.

Kira smiled and continued on with her observations.

"Sasuke," she said as Sakura hung her head in disappointment at the lack of praise from Sasuke.

Kira knew that she had been hoping for praise from the Uchiha. She was unlikely to ever get that though she seemed unwilling to accept it.

He blinked, waiting for her verdict.

"You used too much, which you've probably figured out. You need to maintain your focus on the level of chakra you emit."

Sasuke nodded.

"Hah! You messed up!!" Naruto yelled triumphantly, pointing at him.

"Naruto!" she said more sharply than to the others.

"Huh?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"You didn't use enough to even get off the ground. You have no place to criticize him. He managed to get much further."

She saw Sasuke smirk as Naruto's face fell.

"But that's no reason to get discouraged. And he'd do well not to let it go to his head," she added, giving Sasuke a meaningful look.

Sasuke's smirk disappeared and he looked at her in disbelief while Naruto grinned at the encouragement.

"Try again," she ordered, glancing at Kakashi who nodded.

With Kakashi

Silently, he was impressed as he watched her manipulate the emotions of her teammates. She never let one get too high or too low and influenced the spirit of each person as necessary seemingly without thought or effort. The previous showing off had been such an act as well he realized now. By proving her superiority, she made it possible for her to fill a teaching role without seeming to overstep his authority. And they were surprisingly vulnerable to her opinions, reacting immediately to any comment put forth by the young kunoichi.

He was most shocked to see Sasuke and Sakura reacting that way. Naruto he knew reacted well to the slightest encouragement and badly to any criticism from anyone and so he wasn't surprised by his reaction. But Sakura, Kakashi knew, was jealous of Kira and for that reason it surprised him to see her willingly perform orders from her and take every one of her comments to heart. Sasuke, too, was jealous of her. Kira surpassed all of his current students without contest and though they all knew it, Sasuke alone seemed to realize by how much.

Perhaps he accepted her commands and criticism because he did realize that. He knew how good she must be and put up with the indignity because it offered a chance to progress faster under her guidance. And as for Sakura, Kira was being surprisingly sincere and nonjudgmental in each of her reprimands. She showed no favoritism and spoke bluntly without being heartless or over demanding. She was also a more involved teacher than he was. He wondered if her parents had been this way during her lessons.

He began walking down the tree and caught her eye. She met it and nodded, finishing off her last statement. She met him at the base of his tree and he silently marveled at her skill again.

"I'd like you to go and perform the guard duties for our employer now. It's about time for him to begin his day and besides…," he said, speaking softly to prevent the others from hearing.

"You want them to begin functioning as a proper three-man cell, right?" she finished for him.

He stared at her before nodding.

She smiled. "I understand."

Without another word, she turned and walked in the direction of Mr. Tazuna's house. He watched as she ignored the curious glances of the others and waved without looking back. And with that, she disappeared into the shadows underneath the trees, leaving him alone with his original students.

With Kira

She left Kakashi with his real students and walked purposely back to Tazuna's home. She knew why he had wanted her to leave. She was instructing them instead of letting them discover what they were doing wrong on their own. And instead of looking to each other for guidance, they were looking to her to tell them what to do. Kakashi didn't want that because eventually they would be on their own and she wouldn't be there to tell them what they were doing wrong. They'd have to figure it out on their own.

It was because she knew this, that she didn't feel slighted. She understood that she was an extra wheel on the team. She wasn't really needed anywhere. She had no place. She was here simply because she had no other choice. Or rather, she had another choice, but it was too loathsome to even consider. So she smiled, and tried her best to fit in even though she knew that she never really would and tried to tell herself that she was happy with it that way.

These thoughts filled her head as the house came into view. Inari was seated at the edge of the porch with his feet dangling in the water. She felt something stir inside her at the sad look on his face as he stared at the waves lapping against his thin shins. She wondered vaguely if it was pity, but then thought that it was sympathy. His were the eyes of a person who had loved and lost a person of immeasurable personal value. She knew with absolute certainty that he was mourning that person as surely as she was mourning the loss of her parents.

She walked up next to him and stopped, looking down at the top of his hat-shrouded head. He said nothing, nor reacted in any way to her presence. She sat next to him, placing her feet in the water as he had his. She looked at the water, thinking of her own grief and, perhaps, of what she should say to the suffering boy beside her.

"What do you want?" he asked her suddenly.

She was silent for a moment, thinking over the question. "I think you know the nature of what I want," she said. "You feel the same pain I do."

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I've lost someone special to me too. My father."

She saw something spark in his eyes.

"My mother."

His eyes crinkled in sympathy.

"My entire clan and family."

He looked back to the water quickly as if unable to imagine such a tragedy.

"And my brother is cursed to remain in a body that is not his own. Trapped in a living prison."

He said nothing.

"It feels so pointless to carry on doesn't it? Like all the joy in life has been taken away. I want more than anything else for things to go back to the way they were before. But they can't. Nothing will ever be the same ever again." Her eyes were half lidded.

She heard a sob rack the small frame sitting beside her. She placed her hand on his shoulder. The next thing she knew, his head was in her lap and his arms were around her waist. He clutched at her like she was the last stable piece of land in a world falling totally underwater in a mad torrent. She gently stroked the back of his head in an unconscious mimicry of the way her brother would comfort her as a child.

"But I haven't given up on life. I haven't given up on the people still here. My brother is still here even if he's not in his original form. That's enough for me."

She spoke softly, but she knew that what she was saying was touching him in a way no one else had been able to. She didn't think about what she was saying. She didn't have a plan. She simply said whatever came to mind.

"And you have so much to keep living for. Your mother loves you, and your grandfather talked fondly of you on the way here. He's fighting so hard to make a world where you can be free and happy. Your mother also wants you to be happy. More than anything in the world, she wishes for that."

She fell silent and stared into space as Inari continued crying. Eventually, the tears stopped and his sobs quieted. He sat up and she dropped her hand as he wiped at his eyes. But he still said nothing and Kira knew that he was thinking about what she had said.

"Don't give up on life just yet," she said and stood up. "It may still hold some joy for you." She turned to walk into the house.

"Thank you."

She stopped and looked back. He was looking at her and his eyes weren't as clouded as they had been before. She smiled at him. "No problem."

She walked into the house and found Tazuna standing at the window. He had watched her comfort Inari. He turned to her and looked at her with eyes she could not read. They simply stared at each other for a long time, saying nothing. There was no need to. Their eyes spoke to each other: 'Thank you.' from Tazuna's and 'You're welcome.' from Kira's.

With a nod, she walked past him and gathered her weapons from the floor of the main room. She buckled them into their proper places and whistled for Miko. He ran into the room and waited expectantly.

"We're to guard Mr. Tazuna at the bridge today," she told him simply.

To Tazuna's astonishment, he nodded and moved to the door.

"Are you ready?" she asked the bridge builder.

"Yeah, let's go."

They walked out the door and Kira noticed that Inari was no longer on the porch. She shrugged it off and followed Tazuna as he led her down the path they had first taken to the house. Kira found herself recognizing particular parts of the landscape. They served as markers to tell her that they were close to the clearing that had become a battlefield in their fight against Zabuza. Sure enough, the next turn brought them to it. It looked peaceful. There were barely any signs at all that a life-or-death struggle had occurred there. It seemed like a long gone memory though it had only been two days.

"Do you think he'll be back?" Tazuna asked.

Kira didn't need to ask who he meant.

"Most definitely," she replied. "And we'll be ready."


End file.
